INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Sponsorship

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what expenditure his Department incurred on sponsorship in each year since 1997 for which figures are available.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) is not able to provide details of expenditure which may have been incurred on sponsorship without incurring a disproportionate cost.

Developing Countries: Education

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the needs of disabled people informed the ministerial review of his Department's Education Strategy 2010-15; and what steps his Department plans to take to ensure such needs inform any further such review.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) published its Learning for All Education Strategy in March 2010. The strategy recognised that disability is a major factor in excluding children from school and the importance of reaching those currently marginalised if the education millennium development goals and Education for All goals are to be achieved.
	DFID recently published a guidance note on supporting access to education for children with disabilities, "Education for Children with Disabilities-Improving Access and Quality", which is available on the DFID website. This note has been used by country teams during the bilateral aid review, which will inform our ongoing policy, including that on education for children with disabilities.

Developing Countries: HIV Infection

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's programmes in reducing the global incidence of HIV/AIDS; what plans he has for the future of such programmes; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen O'Brien: Figures from the UNAIDS Report on The Global Aids Epidemic 2010 demonstrate steady progress in the reduction of HIV incidence. In 33 countries, of which 22 are in Sub-Saharan Africa, HIV incidence has fallen by more than 25% between 2001 and 2009. In the countries most severely effected by the epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa-Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe-incidence have either stabilised or are showing signs of decline. These are all countries where the Department for International Development (DFID) has supported national HIV prevention programmes.
	DFID is reviewing all its bilateral and multilateral aid programmes to ensure UK aid is effective, represents value for money for the UK taxpayer and accelerates progress towards the millennium development goals. As set out in DFID's business plan 2011-15, we will specify our objectives on restricting the spread of diseases like TB, HIV, and malaria by May 2011.

EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many EU directives are pending transposition into domestic legislation by his Department; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such transposition.

Stephen O'Brien: There are currently no EU directives waiting to be transposed into domestic legislation by the Department.

Football: World Cup 2010

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on entertainment activities related to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) spent no money on entertainment relating to the activities of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Trade Unions: Finance

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has given to trade unions in the UK and overseas through  (a) the Civil Society Challenge Fund,  (b) the UK Trades Union Congress Strategic Grant Agreement,  (c) the Strategic Framework Partnership Agreement,  (d) the partnership programme agreements,  (e) the Development Awareness Fund and  (f) other programmes in each of the last three years; which trade unions received such funds; and for what reason the award was made in each case.

Andrew Mitchell: I will arrange for the requested information to be placed in the Library of the House.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) is reviewing all of its aid programmes, including aid channelled through trade unions, to ensure that it makes a real difference to the world's poorest people.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agricultural Wages Order

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many grants of widow's or widower's bereavement allowances were made under the Agricultural Wages Order in each of the last five financial years;
	(2)  what the average sum payable as a grant of widow's or widower's bereavement allowance under the Agricultural Wages Order was in each of the last five financial years.

James Paice: The Agricultural Wages Order provides agricultural workers with an entitlement to paid bereavement leave on the death of a close relative, including a spouse or civil partner. However, it does not include provision for the payment of a lump sum grant in addition to this.
	The Government do not keep records of the amount of bereavement leave taken by agricultural workers. Therefore, it is not possible to provide details of the average amount of bereavement leave pay received in each of the past five years.

Agricultural Wages Order

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many grants of dog allowances were made under the Agricultural Wages Order in each of the last five financial years;
	(2)  what the average sum payable as a grant of dog allowances under the Agricultural Wages Order was in each of the last five financial years.

James Paice: The dog allowance is a weekly amount added to the minimum rate for a worker whose employer requires them to keep a dog or dogs. The allowance is paid in respect of each dog.
	The Government does not have information on the number of allowances paid to workers required to keep a dog or dogs for the better performance of their work. Nor is it possible to state what the average sum payable to such workers was in each of the last five financial years.
	The level of the weekly dog allowance payable to a worker required to keep a dog or dogs in each of the last five years was as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2010 7.21 
			 2009 7.01 
			 2008 6.86 
			 2007 6.58 
			 2006 6.30 
			  Note: All allowances are effective from 1 October of the relevant year.

Biofuels

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much wood was imported for burning as biomass fuel in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009.

Gregory Barker: I have been asked to reply.
	Information collated by HM Revenue and Customs as part of its statistics on overseas trade do not indicate the final use for imported wood.
	The 2010 edition of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics contains estimates of the total quantities of wood and waste wood that were used for energy purposes during 2007, 2008 and 2009. Copies of this publication are available in the House Library. The publication shows the following information:
	
		
			  Thousand tonnes of oil equivalent 
			   2007  2008  2009 
			 Wood for energy purposes 332 359 375 
			 Waste wood for energy purposes 101 162 165 
		
	
	Additionally, the publication contains the following estimates of straw, short rotation coppice, and other plant based biomass imported for energy purposes:
	
		
			  Thousand tonnes of oil equivalent 
			   2007  2008  2009 
			 Total imports of straw, short rotation coppice and other plant-based biomass for energy purposes 378 416 415

British Waterways

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had on the future of British Waterways.

Richard Benyon: On 14 October, the Government announced that British Waterways will move from being a public corporation to a charitable body within civil society from April 2012. Government's intention is to issue a full public consultation on the scope and model of the new waterways charity early in 2011. Key stakeholders will continue to be kept closely involved through ongoing discussions, workshops and meetings with myself and DEFRA officials.

Carbon Emissions: Businesses

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to introduce mandatory reporting of carbon emissions by UK-listed companies.

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the introduction of mandatory carbon reporting for businesses under section 85 of the Climate Change Act 2008.

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will assess the merits of introducing mandatory reporting of carbon dioxide emissions by listed UK companies; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: I refer the hon. Member and my hon. Friends to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Hartlepool (Mr Wright) on 27 October 2010,  Official Report, column 319W.

Common Agricultural Policy

Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the effect on UK food security of the operation of the Common Agricultural Policy.

James Paice: The best guarantors of UK food security, as detailed in DEFRA's UK food security assessment, are an open trading system with other countries, and farmers at home and overseas being able to respond to market price signals. We believe that there needs to be reform of the Common Agricultural Policy to facilitate this.

Departmental Policy

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what departmental policy reviews her Department has undertaken since 6 May 2010; on what date each such review  (a) was announced and  (b) is expected to publish its findings; what estimate she has made of the cost of each such review; who has been appointed to lead each such review; to what remuneration each review leader is entitled; how many (i) full-time equivalent civil servants and (ii) seconded staff are working on each such review; from which organisations such staff have been seconded; and how much on average such seconded staff will be paid for their work on the review.

Richard Benyon: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Ofwat review  Waste review  Animal Welfare Act  Animal welfare inspections  Task force on farm regulation  Review of national park governance arrangements 
			 Announcement date 26 August 2010 15 June 2010 June 2010 (reconfirmed earlier decision taken by previous Administration) 1 May 2010 9 June 2010 A full public consultation was launched on 9 November 2010 
			
			 Publication date Spring/summer 2011 May 2011 Command Paper to publish in December 2010. EFRA Parliamentary Select Committee to consider its findings. 1 May 2011 April 2011 A Ministerial announcement on the consultation outcome, proposals for changes to the governance arrangements and ways of improving accountability will be made by the end of March 2011. 
			
			 Estimated cost £55,000 not including staff costs Undertaken by civil servants in the course of normal duties Undertaken by civil servants in the course of normal duties Undertaken by civil servants in the course of normal duties £35,000 (not including staff costs) Undertaken by civil servants in the course of normal duties 
			
			 Appointed reviewer and remuneration David Gray. £50,000 plus expenses. n/a n/a n/a Richard Macdonald. Daily rate £300 and entitled to reasonable expenses. Estimated input 80 days. n/a 
			
			 Number of civil servants working on the review 2.2 full-time employees 4 full-time employees 5 full-time employees 4.6 full-time employees 6 full-time employees 2 civil servants but with significant input from the national park authorities. 
			
			 Number of secondees working on the review None 1 part time (2 days per week) None None None None 
			
			 Secondees home organisation n/a Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			
			 Secondees pay rates n/a On loan from WRAP n/a n/a n/a n/a

Farming Futures: Finance

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding Farming Futures received from her Department in each of the last four years; and how much funding she plans to allocate to Farming Futures in each of the next four years.

James Paice: Farming Futures was set up in 2007 to build greater awareness and provide advice to farmers on the impacts of climate change and actions they can take to deal with this, to increase efficiency, profitability and competiveness. DEFRA has provided Farming Futures with core funding of over £850,000 covering a four year period:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2007-08 171,000 
			 2008-09 250,000 
			 2009-10 150,000 
			 2010-11 285,000 
		
	
	DEFRA funding for Farming Futures was a substantial, time-limited contribution to allow them to establish themselves in playing a central role in supporting the industry's action on climate change, whilst they sought alternative long-term funding. After four years, DEFRA's financial support will come to an end in March 2011.

Genetically Modified Organisms

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the opinion of the Council of Ministers on the proposal to amend the GMO Deliberate Release Directive 2001/18 by introducing a new article 26b has been received by her Department; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: holding answer 25 November 2010
	All member states have received the opinion of the Council Legal Service on the proposal to amend Directive 2001/18. Opinions on this matter are also expected to be made available soon from both the European Parliament and the Commission legal services. Following this, further discussions will be held at EU level on the legal implications of the Commission's proposal.

Genetically Modified Organisms

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the commercial growing of genetically-modified crops; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: holding answer 29 November 2010
	The details of the Government's policy on GM crops are currently under consideration, but all policies will be based on robust scientific evidence.

National Parks

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what visits on what dates for what purposes  (a) she and  (b) other Ministers in her Department have made to (i) national parks and (ii) national nature reserves since 11 May 2010.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 24 November 2010
	I have expressed a keen interest in visiting all of the English national parks to see at first hand the valuable work being undertaken. So far I have been to Northumberland national park on 15 June and the Peak District national park on 27 July.
	During my visit to Northumberland national park I also went to Greenlee Lough national nature reserve to see how national park and national nature reserve designations can work together.
	Other national nature reserves I visited are Holme Fen and Woodwalton Fen on 10 November as part of the Great Fen project which is designed to link up the land between the two nature reserves.
	I was also able to see Leigh Woods national nature reserve from the Avon Gorge site of special scientific interest which I visited on 19 July.
	The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for South East Cambridgeshire (Mr Paice) visited Dartmoor national park on 11 November to discuss uplands issues.
	The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs the noble Lord, Lord Henley visited the Lake District national park on 25 August regarding future changes needed to adapt to climate change.
	The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman) has met with key representatives from the English national parks authority association and spoken with a number of people who have an interest in national parks and national nature reserves. We are currently putting together a programme of visits for 2011, which includes visits to our national parks.

Salmon: Rivers

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of salmon returning to the river  (a) Test,  (b) Itchen and  (c) Hampshire Avon in each of the past five years; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment her Department has made of the future capacity of the river  (a) Test,  (b) Itchen and  (c) Hampshire Avon to support viable stocks of migratory salmonoids; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency (EA) operates fish counters on the rivers Test, Itchen and Hampshire Avon and uses these to derive annual estimates of the number of salmon returning to each of these rivers. The following table shows the estimated number of salmon returning in each of the past five years, although such estimates have only been possible on the Hampshire Avon since 2006.
	
		
			   Test  Itchen  Hampshire Avon 
			 2005 1,117 411 n/a 
			 2006 1,058 419 1,319 
			 2007 664 301 1,135 
			 2008 1,487 500 810 
			 2009 (provisional) 903 276 743 
		
	
	The EA estimates the Conservation Limits (CLs) for salmon stocks in each of the 64 principal salmon rivers in England and Wales; including the Test, Itchen and Hampshire Avon. CLs are described as 'the minimum desirable spawning stock levels, below which stocks should not be allowed to fall'. The salmon stocks in the rivers Test, Itchen and Hampshire Avon were all below their CLs in 2009, and are classified as being 'At Risk' or 'Probably at Risk'. They are also expected to remain in one of these categories until at least 2014. There are no similar indicators of the status of other salmonid species.
	Stocks may still be sustainable at levels below their CL, but they are at greater risk. The EA and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science are investigating the significance of impacts on salmon and will seek ways to manage the effects. An understanding of these key factors will be important in estimating the future potential of these southern chalk streams for all salmonid species.

Woodland Grant Scheme

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for the future of the Woodland Grant Scheme following the outcome of the comprehensive spending review; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: Expenditure on the Rural Development programme for England will be maintained over the spending review period. We will work with the Forestry Commission to ensure the England Woodland Grant Scheme, which provides for the stewardship of existing woodlands and the creation of new woodlands, is more effective and better targeted. I also refer the hon. Gentleman to the Welsh Assembly Government which administers woodland grant schemes in Wales for information on its plans.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress his Department has made on the inclusion of a proportion of electricity generated from energy from waste in the Carbon Reduction Commitment.

Gregory Barker: All electricity supply arrangements to a CRC participant which meet the CRC's supply criteria must be reported under the scheme, irrespective of how, where and by whom the electricity is generated. This ensures the scheme's focus is on energy efficiency measures.
	CRC participants which operate an energy from waste plant will also need to report their input fuel to the generational process, where that waste supply meets the CRC supply definitions.

Departmental Contracts

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department plans to take to encourage and support small and medium-sized enterprises and third sector organisations to compete for departmental contracts in line with value-for-money policy, UK regulations and EU procurement directives.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change is following all the requirements of the Transparency Agenda and openly advertising all procurements above £10,000.
	In circumstances where an applicant is unsuccessful with their bid the Department provides full feedback to all companies as requested.

Energy: Prices

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to assist energy-intensive industries with rising energy prices.

Charles Hendry: In order to help UK energy intensive industries, DECC is working closely with BIS, industry representatives, academics and other experts on an Energy Intensive Industry Strategy. The Strategy is assessing the impact of climate change and energy policies on the cost of energy for these industries, greenhouse gas abatement opportunities within key energy intensive sectors and is considering policy options where further cost-effective abatement opportunities are not available in the short term.
	The Government also provide businesses with enhanced tax relief for investments in equipment that meets published energy-saving criteria via enhanced capital allowances.

Energy: Prices

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to seek additional data-sharing powers to enable people with a terminal illness automatically to receive assistance from the mandatory social price support scheme.

Gregory Barker: Energy suppliers will be required from April 2011 to provide greater help with the financial costs of energy bills to more of the most vulnerable fuel poor households-with total support of £250 million in 2011-12 rising to £310 million in 2014-15.
	We anticipate that data matching methods, similar to those which were used successfully in the Energy Rebate Scheme, will be used to target the available assistance towards more of the most vulnerable households.
	We intend to consult on the detailed policy design, including eligibility and targeting methods, shortly and would welcome views and input on these issues during that process.

Natural Gas

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the level of reserves of shale gas in the UK.

Charles Hendry: The British Geological Survey estimates that there could be worthwhile shale gas resources in the UK. However it is not possible to make an estimate of reserves without drilling and production testing, and it is not yet clear that the success elsewhere can be replicated in the UK.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Black Asian and Minority Ethnic Women Councillors Taskforce: Expenditure

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2010,  Official Report, columns 81-2W, on ethnic minorities, who the speakers were at each of the 16 events.

Lynne Featherstone: A total of 16 Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Women Councillors' Taskforce events were held across Britain. The speakers at each of the events were as follows:
	 Tower Hamlet-23 July 2008:
	Councillors: Dr Anwara AN, Shirley Marshall and Lurline Champagnie; Barbara Follett MP and Deputy Minister for Women; former Councillor Neelam Bakshi.
	 Birmingham-17 October 2008:
	Councillors: Salma Yaqoob, Karen Hamilton and Paulette Hamilton; Francine Fernandes; Carol Coombes CEO.
	 Harrow-21 November 2008:
	Councillors: Lurline Champagnie, Mimi Harker, Nana Asante and David Ashton.
	 Swansea-12 December 2008:
	Former Councillor Yvonne Jardine; Nia Griffith MP; Salma Abbasi; Mari Rees.
	 Islington-9 January 2009:
	Councillors: James Kempton, Jyoti Vaja, Anjana Patel, Ruth Polling, Berenice Vanier; Mouna Hamitouche.
	 TUC event central London-3 February 2009:
	Sarah Veale; Dinah Cox; Councillors: Anwara Ali and Lurline Champagnie.
	 Glasgow-13 February 2009:
	Former Councillor Neelam Bakshi; Angela O'Hagan; Councillor Paulette Hamilton; Loretta Mordi; Ann Henderson.
	 Gloucester-19 February 2009:
	Former Councillor Carol Francis; Councillors: Barry Dare, Lorna Campbell and Lady Mavis Dunrossil; Parmjit Dhanda MP.
	 Newcastle-20 March 2009:
	Former Councillor Thea Khamis; Councillors: David Faulkner and Lurline Champagnie; Baroness Sandip Verma; Ranjana Bell.
	 Leicester-17 April 2009:
	Councillors: Manjula Sood, Ross Willmott, Sarah Russell and Ramilla Shah; Sheila Lock CEO; Liz Reid-Jones; Anita Patel.
	 Camden-24 April 2009:
	Councillors: Maya de Souza, Keith Moffitt and Geethika Jayatilaka; Dame Jane Roberts; Simon Woolley.
	 South London-21 May 2009:
	Councillors: Lorna Campbell; Nicholas Stanton, Eliza Mann, Mimi Harker and Dora Dixon Fyle; Dawn Butler MP; Harriet Harman QC, MP and Minister for Women and Equalities.
	 Liverpool-29 May 2009:
	Former Councillor Mia Jones; Councillors: Warren Bradley and Anna Rothery; Amina Ismail; Maria Eagle MP and Deputy Minister for Women and Equalities.
	 Chilterns, Maidenhead and Berkshire-26 June 2009:
	Councillors: Mimi Harker, Humaira Khan, John Warder, Meral Ece, Denise Headley.
	 Luton-17 July 2009:
	Councillors: Sherma Batson, Joan Bailey, Jacqui Burnett and Anjana Patel; Dr Nazia Khanum; Kate Belinis CEO.
	 Bradford-22 July 2009:
	Adeeba Malik; Councillors: Dale Smith, Naveeda Ikram and Alison Lowe; Marcia Churley.
	 Note
	This information is in the public domain through the BAME Women Councillors' Taskforce report. The full report is available at the following link:
	http://www.equalities.gov.uk/pdf/Task%20Force%20Report%20Oct%202009.pdf

Black Asian and Minority Ethnic Women Councillors Taskforce: Expenditure

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2010,  Official Report, columns 81-82W, on ethnic minorities, how the  (a) attendees and  (b) delegates at each event were (i) invited and (ii) selected for invitation.

Lynne Featherstone: A total of 16 events were held across Britain reaching nearly 1,100 women. These events were promoted using a wide range of organisations. This included working closely with existing local equalities group networks and political parties.
	The Government Equalities Office (GEO) sent e-mails including the event details and also telephoned organisations who helped to promote the events on behalf of the GEO. These organisations included local women's organisations, equalities organisations, local authorities, local political parties, strategic partners, local Libraries and business networks.
	Attendees signed up to attend the events online. The selection of attendees was based on a first come first served basis where the numbers were dependent on the size of the venue.

Black Asian and Minority Ethnic Women Councillors Taskforce: Expenditure

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2010,  Official Report, columns 81-82W, on ethnic minorities, what steps she plans to take to evaluate the  (a) outcome and  (b) value for money of each event.

Lynne Featherstone: Action has been taken to evaluate the work of the Black, Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) Women Councillors' taskforce and an evaluation report will be published in the new year, with an executive summary. The report will assess the short- and longer-term impacts of the taskforce as a whole, and by each of the three strands of work covering the support and development element of the programme, which are the outreach events, the shadowing and mentoring scheme and the community leadership course.
	The specific research objectives are:
	1. To identify and examine the outcomes and effectiveness of the BAME taskforce
	2. To identify the strengths and limitations of the BAME taskforce programme of work
	3. To assess the value of the taskforce programme of work, including how to make this agenda sustainable in the longer term
	4. To follow-up and track participants' progress in getting involved in political and public life.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Aviation: Security

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who informed  (a) her and  (b) the Prime Minister of the discovery of a bomb on board a UPS courier aircraft at East Midlands airport; and what the reasons were for the time taken to inform each Minister of that discovery.

Francis Maude: I have been asked to reply.
	The Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) was informed about an incident at East Midlands airport at 8.10 am on 29 October. In his capacity as Secretary of State for Transport he is routinely informed of incidents having the potential to disrupt air transport, even when no specific threat materialises. The Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) and the Minister of State for Security and Counter-terrorism (Baroness Neville-Jones) were all informed at lunchtime on 29 October.

Crime

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the change in overall crime levels has been between 1997 and the latest date for which figures are available in terms of the methodology used in collecting information for  (a) police recorded crime and  (b) the British Crime Survey.

Theresa May: holding answer 16 November 2010
	 Both the police recorded crime statistics and the British Crime Survey provide an incomplete picture of crime.
	Statistics from the two sources are published annually in the Home Office statistical bulletin, Crime in England and Wales, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library.

Homosexuality: Criminal Records

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will bring forward legislative proposals to change requirements for the disclosure of historic convictions for homosexual intercourse for the purpose of preventing discrimination.

Lynne Featherstone: As set out in the Home Office Business Plan, the Freedom Bill, to be introduced by February 2011, will include provisions so that those who were prosecuted for consensual gay sex at a time when this was illegal may apply to have their conviction record deleted from police records and will no longer be required to disclose their conviction in any circumstances.

Immigration

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures are available to her to restrict the level of immigration from other EU member states.

Damian Green: holding answer 29 November 2010
	The right to free movement is not unlimited; European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) nationals must be exercising a Treaty right as a worker, a self-employed or self-sufficient person or a student if they wish to reside in the UK beyond three months.
	The EU Accession Treaties for countries that have joined the EU since 2004 include a temporary derogation that allows individual member states to restrict accession workers' access to the labour market for up to five years, or up to seven years if justified on labour market grounds. This Government are committed to applying transitional controls on access to the UK labour market as a matter of course in the future to all new EU member states.
	Under transitional arrangements currently in place, workers from the Central and Eastern European countries that acceded to the EU in 2004 must register their employment in the UK within one month. This scheme must end by 30 April 2011.
	Workers from Romania and Bulgaria, which acceded to the EU on 1 January 2007, must seek authorisation to work from the UK Border Agency and meet the required criteria. These restrictions will remain in force until 31 December 2011 and may be extended for a further two years.

Migration

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the oral statement of 23 November 2010,  Official Report, columns 169-71, on controlling migration, what the minimum amount is which any applicant must be able to deposit in a UK-based financial institution prior to becoming eligible for an entrepreneur visa.

Damian Green: The minimum amount an applicant to the tier 1 (entrepreneur) route must have available to deposit in a UK-based financial institution is currently £200,000. We will announce details of the revised criteria for entrepreneurs in due course.

Vetting

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what recent representations she has received from accredited guardianship organisations on her Department's review of the vetting and barring regime;
	(2)  what account she took of accredited guardianship organisations in her Department's review of the Independent Safeguarding Authority.

Lynne Featherstone: holding answer 30 November 2010
	The review and remodelling of the Vetting and Barring Scheme is still under way. Representations from various organisations including those involved with the private and independent schools sector have been received, and will be taken into account as the review progresses.

WALES

Grants

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what grants have been awarded by her Department in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11 to date; what grants she plans to award in each of the next two years; what the monetary value is of each such grant fund; and to which organisations such grants have been made.

David Jones: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my answer of 30 November 2010,  Official Report, column 737W.

UN Food and Agriculture Organisation

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment she has made of the compliance of her Department with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's criteria for sourcing sustainable timber.

David Jones: The Wales Office obtains its support services through the Ministry of Justice and comes under that Ministry's sustainable development framework, where there is a requirement for all timber to be from sustainable sources.

TRANSPORT

Biofuels

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects on the environment of  (a) small-scale biodiesel production and  (b) competition within the biodiesel market.

Norman Baker: The environmental impacts of biofuel production are included in the lifecycle assessment of biofuels awarded renewable transport fuel certificates (RTFCs).
	Biofuel producers who wish to claim RTFCs for the fuel they produce must register with the Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA). In the 2009-10 reporting period 33 non-obligated biofuels producers were awarded RTFCs. The RFA quarterly reports list all biofuel producers awarded RTFCs during the reporting period, but do not distinguish between small and large suppliers. The volume of fuel supplied is commercially sensitive data.
	The RFA requires fuel suppliers claiming RTFCs to submit monthly reports on the lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) saving and the sustainability of the biofuels they supply. Summaries of the data supplied are published in the RFA's quarterly reports. In the 2009-10 reporting period all biofuels-only suppliers reported meeting a qualifying environmental standard in 90% or more of the biofuel supplied and all reported on the fuel characteristics (feedstock, country of origin, sustainability and previous land use) for more than 95% of the fuel supplied, although in many cases environmental data were reported using RFA default values.
	The RFA quarterly reports are available at:
	www.renewablefuelsagency.gov.uk

East Midlands Airport: Security

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport at what time on 29 October 2010 he was informed of the security incident at East Midlands airport.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
	The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) was informed about an incident at East Midlands airport at 8.10am on Friday 29 October. In his capacity as Secretary of State for Transport he is routinely informed of incidents having the potential to disrupt air transport, even when no specific threat materialises. The Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) and the Minister of State for Security and Counter-terrorism (Baroness Neville-Jones) were all informed at lunchtime on Friday 29 October.

Lake Windermere: Speed Limits

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the speed limit is for motorised transportation across Lake Windermere in  (a) miles per hour,  (b) nautical miles per hour and  (c) kilometres per hour.

Michael Penning: Speed limits for motorised transportation across Lake Windermere are a matter for the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA).
	The LDNPA's website states
	"There is a 10 nautical miles per hour speed limit on Lake Windermere, dropping to 6 miles per hour in some areas."

Official Cars: Liquefied Natural Gas

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has made an estimate of the potential cost savings likely to be made from converting a Government Car Service vehicle to be fuelled by liquefied petroleum gas autogas.

Michael Penning: The cost-effectiveness of a conversion to liquid petroleum gas (LPG) can only be realised with vehicles that cover high mileage using primarily LPG and without incurring the associated reliability issues that the conversion creates. The mileage profile and replacement cycle of a Government Car Service vehicle would not permit full recovery of the conversion costs.

Parking: Fines

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many local authorities  (a) responsible for London boroughs and  (b) outside London have contacted his Department to seek an increase in charges for parking penalties.

Norman Baker: holding answer 29 November 2010
	 Penalty charges in London are the responsibility of the London Mayor. The British Parking Association has raised this matter with Ministers on behalf of their local authority members. In addition six local authorities have written to the Department for Transport.

Stourbridge to Walsall Freight Rail Line

Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on reinstating the Stourbridge to Walsall freight rail line; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: There is no current project to reinstate the Stourbridge to Walsall line. However, Network Rail has published the West Midlands and Chilterns Route Utilisation Strategy Draft for Consultation in November 2010. It has established that there may be a case for re-opening the Stourbridge to Walsall line to accommodate future freight growth.

Transport: Expenditure

George Eustice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes his Department has made to its formula for assessing benefit-to-cost ratios in respect of transport schemes since May 2010.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has not changed its definitive appraisal guidance since May 2010. The guidance, along with planned changes released "in draft" in January 2010 (which included a new benefit-cost ratio formula), are available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/webtag/index.php
	Spending review decisions were informed by a value-for-money measure which was consistent with two of the proposed changes to the guidance: introducing the latest monetary values of carbon and adopting the new benefit-cost ratio formula.
	The Department for Transport's business plan for 2011-15 states it will reform the way transport projects are assessed, and funding prioritisation decisions are made, so that the benefits of low carbon proposals are fully recognised. This includes reviewing and revising its guidance on appraising transport projects, as well as its processes for assessing schemes and supporting ministerial decisions. We will announce the scope and timetable of this review shortly.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the remit of the Defence Reform Units review includes forces and operations in Afghanistan.

Liam Fox: The remit of the Defence Reform Unit's review does not include our current forces or operations in Afghanistan.

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate his Department has made of the likely effect of implementing his decision to procure the non-STOVL variant of the joint strike fighter on the number of jobs.

Peter Luff: holding answer 30 November 2010
	The decision to purchase the carrier variant (CV) of the joint strike fighter (JSF) was made on the basis of its advantages offered in terms of interoperability with allies, range, and pay load and through life costs over the short take off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant.
	The industrial implications of the key strategic defence and security review choices were given careful consideration, but we have not made a specific assessment of the impact on the jobs in the UK of the decision to proceed with the CV of the JSF. Many UK companies continue to be heavily involved in the overall JSF programme.

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which engines have been chosen to be fitted on the joint strike fighter; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: Pending the US decision as to whether to continue funding for the completion of development of the alternative General Electric/Rolls Royce F136 engine, it is too early to determine which engines will be fitted to the joint strike fighter.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the strategic defence and security review, page 24, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of introducing protected support vehicles to replace unprotected versions that are no longer suitable.

Peter Luff: There are a number of future planned programmes for both protected and unprotected support vehicles. The protection level of any given vehicle is very much driven by the capability the vehicle is designed to meet and the threat level it is expected to face. To maintain flexibility many of the vehicles are designed and procured with the ability to be fitted with additional protection in order to match specific threats.
	The Wolfhound, Coyote and Husky tactical support vehicles have been procured specifically for Afghanistan and over 500 will enter service at an approved cost of over £500 million.
	The new Foxhound light protected patrol vehicle will replace Snatch Vixen on operations and an initial tranche of 200 vehicles has been approved at a cost of around £180 million excluding VAT.
	The cost of the Operational Utility Vehicle System will be determined after the main investment decision point.

Defence Exports Group

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Defence Exports Group was established; what its terms of reference are; who its members are; how many times it will meet per year; and when it will next meet.

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to establish the Defence Exports Group; and whether a decision has been made on its composition.

Liam Fox: The Defence Exports Support Group (DESG) was established on 22 October. The core DESG membership is the Secretary of State for Defence; the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology; the Minister for International Security Strategy; and Head, Defence and Security Organisation, UK Trade and Investment. Ministers and/or senior officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will also attend as appropriate. The DESG will be a forum through which Ministers will plan and focus their support to UK Defence exports. The intention is to hold the first DESG meeting before Christmas at which its terms of reference and frequency of meetings will be discussed.

Nimrod Aircraft

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of making alternative arrangements for  (a) protection of the carrier fleet and  (b) provision of strategic deterrent against submarines compared to the cost of retaining the Nimrod MRA4; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the consequences for  (a) intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance support,  (b) maritime protection and  (c) search and rescue capability in respect of (i) protection of merchant shipping and (ii) protection of coastal waters following the decision to cease the use of Nimrod MRA4 aircraft; what estimate he has made of changes to the cost to the public purse in the provision of such services as a result; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the cost to his Department of C130 and C130K aircraft as a replacement for the Nimrod MRA4 for  (a) intelligence surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance,  (b) maritime protection and  (c) search and rescue; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 450-51W, to the right hon. Member for Coventry North East (Mr Ainsworth) and the hon. Members for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow (Mr McCann), and North Durham (Mr Jones).
	The UK's requirement for Anti-Submarine Warfare and intelligence surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capability was assessed during the Strategic Defence and Security Review and will be kept under regular review. I can confirm that we have judged the implications of the decision not to bring the Nimrod MRA4 into service to be acceptable. We are in the process of developing a longer-term plan to mitigate the impact of cancellation on our continuing military tasks and capabilities. This will include an assessment of costs.

Rescue Services

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the concept of operations underpinning the search and rescue (helicopter) requirement included the assumption that a search and rescue helicopter fleet would operate in conjunction with Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft.

Liam Fox: The search and rescue helicopter project includes the requirement that the helicopters would be able to interface with any other assets that might also be involved in dealing with an incident.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  to whom his Department's document entitled SDSR: Lessons Identified, 3 November 2010, was submitted;
	(2)  who commissioned his Department's document entitled SDSR: Lessons Identified, 3 November 2010;
	(3)  if he will publish his Department's document entitled SDSR: Lessons Identified.

Liam Fox: holding answer 25 November 2010
	The document was proposed and a draft prepared by the strategic defence and security review (SDSR) core co-ordination team in charge of day-to-day management of the Review, to draw together working-level views from individuals involved in the SDSR process in the Ministry of Defence. The draft was a working document distributed to members of the SDSR programme board for comment: The Government have no intention to publish it.

Trident Submarines

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on long lead items for Vanguard submarines prior to the final decision to proceed with construction of the submarines.

Liam Fox: Details of the cost of long lead items for the Vanguard class are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Trident Submarines

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the proportion of the cost of replacing Trident likely to be incurred prior to a decision of the House at Main Gate Stage on submarine replacement in 2016.

Liam Fox: The likely expenditure will be dependent on the Initial Gate decision which we expect to finalise shortly. I do, however, propose to update Parliament on progress, including costs, after the Initial Gate decision through the publication of a report.

USA: Nuclear Weapons

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to his plans to co-operate on nuclear warhead testing with France, whether the UK will continue to  (a) participate in or  (b) receive the results of US sub-critical nuclear tests undertaken at the Nevada nuclear test site.

Liam Fox: The recently signed treaty with France on proposed nuclear co-operation does not address "nuclear warhead testing" but delivers hydrodynamic experiments that provide a key element of assurance for the safety and reliability of the UK's nuclear stockpile.
	I am satisfied that the treaty is complementary to our nuclear co-operation with the US under the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement and the nuclear exchanges made possible through that agreement.

Warships: Decommissioning

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether HMS Ark Royal will be offered for sale to foreign navies following her decommissioning.

Peter Luff: HMS Ark Royal is due to formally leave service with the Royal Navy in early 2011. It is too early to determine the future plans for HMS Ark Royal.
	Any decision will be in line with the Ministry of Defence's policy for handling surplus assets.

SCOTLAND

Elections

Jim McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met the Electoral Commission to discuss the management of elections in Scotland.

David Mundell: My right hon. Friend and the Advocate-General for Scotland met the Electoral Commission on 13 October.
	I will be meeting the new Convener of the Electoral Management Board later this month to discuss preparations for next year's elections and referendum on the UK parliamentary voting system.

VAT

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the likely effect on families in Scotland of the proposed increase in value added tax.

David Mundell: The VAT rise is part of the Government's credible plan to tackle the largest deficit in peacetime history. Difficult decisions are necessary but, as a consequence, we will get ourselves back on a sustainable economic footing.

Departmental Sponsorship

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what expenditure his Department incurred on sponsorship in each year since 1997 for which figures are available.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. The only expenditure it has incurred since then by sponsoring others outside Government to promote a cause or provide a service was £3,296 in 2002-03.

Devolution

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Advocate-General on devolution issues.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State and I discuss devolution issues with the Advocate-General on a regular basis, and we have all worked together on preparations for the new Scotland Bill which will deliver the Government's commitment to strengthening the devolution settlement for Scotland.

JUSTICE

Arrest Warrants

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what timetable he has set for the implementation of his proposals to amend the law on universal jurisdiction.

Crispin Blunt: The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill, which was introduced into this House yesterday, contains a provision requiring the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions to be given before an arrest warrant can be issued in a private prosecution for an offence of universal jurisdiction alleged to have been committed outside the United Kingdom. This requirement would ensure that, whilst private individuals could still apply for an arrest warrant, a warrant could be issued only where there was a prospect of successful prosecution.

Departmental Grants

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what grants have been awarded by his Department in 2010-11 to date; what grants he plans to award in each of the next two years; what the monetary value is of each such grant; and to which organisations such grants are made.

Kenneth Clarke: Between April and October 2010 the MoJ awarded grants worth £70 million to external organisations. The organisations who were awarded grants are listed in the following table.
	For 2011-12, the MoJ is still exploring funding options for external organisations and charities. The MoJ 2012-13 funding is subject to the 2010 spending review and is not yet finalised. NOMS has estimates in place for 2011-12 and 2012-13 but these are subject to change based on funding levels from MoJ.
	The MoJ also provides grants-in-aid to its NDPBs. For the year 2010-11, the gross provisions(1) for these are:
	
		
			  NDPB  Grant-in-Aid (£000) 
			 Legal Services Commission 2,175,331 
			 Information Commissioner's Office 7,990 
			 Judicial Appointments Commission 6,860 
			 Parole Board 10,948 
			 Youth Justice Board 448,131 
			 Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority 238,823 
			 Criminal Cases Review Commission 6,496 
			 (1) As per the 2010-11 winter supplementary estimates  Note: These figures are subject to change following end of year audit. 
		
	
	The MoJ is currently working out specific funding requirements for NDPBs in 2011-12 and 2012-13.
	
		
			  Organisation or Umbrella term  Grant awarded by MoJ or executive agency (£000) 
			 Writers in Prison Network Ltd 47 
			 Partners of Prisoners and Families Support Group 16 
			 Koestler Trust 35 
			 NACRO 1,149 
			 SOVA 248 
			 Prisoners Abroad 146 
			 CVS Pre-release Volunteer Scheme 79 
			 National Assoc, of Prison Visitors 6 
			 RCJ (Miscarriages of Justice) 90 
			 Mubarek Trust 23 
			 Prison Video Trust 29 
			 Action for Prisoners' Families 187 
			 Samaritans 55 
			 United Synagogue Visitation Committee 12 
			 Sikh Chaplaincy Service UK 17 
			 Angulimala 17 
			 ADFAM 84 
			 Magistrates' Association 37 
			 Operation Black Vote 70 
			 John Smith Memorial Trust 320 
			 UK Subscription for the Hague Conference 161 
			 GRECO ID contribution 30 
			 Great Britain China Centre 190 
			 China Law Council 328 
			 Plenet for running costs between Apr-Jun 50 
			 Money Advice Trust 750 
			 The Helplines Association 25 
			 Family Drug and Alcohol Court pilot 35 
			 Reunite 128 
			 National Mediation Helpline 90 
			 Family Mediation Helpline 40 
			 Coroners' Support Service 48 
			 Development Trust Association 50 
			 Women In Prison 80 
			 Women's Community Projects (umbrella) 6,200 
			 CLINKS 548 
			 Local Criminal Justice Boards 7,375 
			 Victim Support 51,566 
			 Total 70,271

Departmental Grants

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the monetary value of grants awarded by his Department was in 2009-10; and how much he expects to award in grants in  (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12.

Kenneth Clarke: In 2009-10 the Ministry of Justice awarded grants to external organisations to the value of £81.4 million.
	For the full financial year of 2010-11, the MoJ anticipates a total expenditure of £71.8 million to be made in grants to external bodies.
	The grants to external organisations for 2011-12 have yet to be decided.
	 Note:
	All future figures are estimates only and are subject to change.

EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many EU directives are pending transposition into domestic legislation by his Department; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such transposition.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice is responsible for two directives that are currently pending transposition into domestic legislation:
	Directive 2008/52/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on Certain Aspects of Mediation in Civil and Commercial Matters. The introduction of this directive will not impose additional regulatory burdens on businesses. The procedures it will introduce will be optional to those wishing to conduct EU cross-border mediations, and are expected to lead to greater legal certainty for those involved. The main costs envisaged to implement the directive are in relation to the necessary facilitative amendments to court rules and minimal costs in training court staff and the judiciary.
	Directive 2010/64/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Right to Interpretation and Translation in Criminal Proceedings. We are currently considering the most cost-effective ways of transposing and implementing this directive, with the result that estimated costs cannot currently be provided.

Prisons: Visits

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many registered prison visitors there were in each of the last five years; and whether he plans to take steps to increase the number of such visitors.

Crispin Blunt: Statistical information on the number of official prison visitors (OPVs) is not collated centrally. OPVs are independent volunteers appointed by prison governors to visit prisoners and offer friendship. They are neither paid civil servants nor religiously affiliated volunteers. The appointment of OPVs is a matter for the governing governor of each establishment.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Meat: Ritual Slaughter

Keith Vaz: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what checks are made with suppliers to ensure that halal and kosher meat are not supplied as ordinary meat intended for general consumption in canteens and restaurants of the House of Commons.

John Thurso: Incumbent suppliers and suppliers bidding for the award of the contract for the future supply of fresh meats and poultry to the House of Commons catering service have confirmed that kosher meat does not enter the mainstream supply chain to catering establishments and, on that basis, they are confident that kosher meat has not been, nor will be, supplied to the House as ordinary meat.
	As stated in the reply given on 16 November 2010,  Official Report, column 761W, by the hon. Member for Middlesbrough (Sir Peter Stuart Bell) to the hon. Member for East Yorkshire (Mr Knight), incumbent suppliers have admitted that it is highly likely that halal-slaughtered poultry has in the past been supplied to the House of Commons instead of ordinary meat. Henceforth, all suppliers have agreed, as a condition of contract, that halal-slaughtered meats and poultry will not be supplied unless expressly ordered or agreed to by the House of Commons catering service. This requirement has been added to the contract currently being tendered.

Meat: Ritual Slaughter

Keith Vaz: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether meat used in canteens and restaurants in the House of Commons in the last 12 months had been slaughtered by kosher methods.

John Thurso: No kosher meat has been served in the House of Commons cafeterias and restaurants in the last 12 months.

Meat: Ritual Slaughter

Keith Vaz: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether kosher meat has been used in non-kosher dishes in the restaurants or canteens in the House of Commons in the last 12 months.

John Thurso: No kosher meat has been used in non-kosher dishes in the House of Commons restaurants or cafeterias in the last 12 months.

Parliamentary Archives: Manpower

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission how many staff at each grade are employed in the Parliamentary Archives; and if he will make a statement.

John Thurso: The Parliamentary Archives, a shared service of both Houses, employs 23.5 staff at the following House of Lords' grades:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Senior band 1 1 
			 A2 3 
			 B1 6 
			 B2 5.5 
			 C2 2 
			 C3 6

Smartphone Applications

Priti Patel: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what estimate the Parliamentary Information and Communications Technology Office has made of the cost of developing a mobile smartphone application for Parliament; what the cost will be of holding focus group meetings on 30 November 2010 and 1 December 2010; and when the smartphone application is due to be available.

John Thurso: The development of a new mobile application, designed primarily for those visiting Parliament, is being led from within the Department of Information Services. The procurement for the smartphone mobile application is currently running, and to publish the budget might influence the responses from potential suppliers.
	Only one focus group is now being run, on 30 November. The focus group planned for 1 December is not going ahead. The participants are coming in on a voluntary basis and are not being paid. The cost of holding the focus groups will depend on the number of participants, and will be restricted to the provision of refreshments and any claims for reasonable travel costs. Refreshments are expected to cost £17.50, and a maximum of £20 per person is being set for travel claims. At present, seven people have registered an interest.
	It is expected that the smartphone application will be available from April 2011.

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMISSION

Departmental Written Questions

Paul Beresford: To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission how many and what proportion of questions tabled to the Public Accounts Commission for answer on a named day were answered substantively before or on the day named for answer  (a) in Session 2009-10 and  (b) since May 2010; how many such questions tabled between May 2010 and 12 November 2010 had not received a substantive answer by 18 November 2010; and what estimate he has made of the average cost to the Commission of answering a question for written answer on a named day on the day named for answer in the latest period for which figures are available.

Andrew Tyrie: In Session 2009-10, there was one question tabled to the Public Accounts Commission for answer on a named day. This received a substantive answer four days after the day named, which was the next sitting day. Since May 2010 there have been no named day questions.
	The Public Accounts Commission has not made an estimate of the average cost of answering a named day question on the day named for answer but it is noted that HM Treasury has established the cost of a written PQ as £154.00. See paragraph 7.27 at the following link:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/parliamentary-clerk-guide/chapter7.aspx

Departmental Written Questions

Paul Beresford: To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission how many and what proportion of questions tabled to the Public Accounts Commission for ordinary written answer  (a) in Session 2009-10 and  (b) since May 2010 were answered within (i) seven days and (ii) 14 days of tabling; how many such questions tabled between May 2010 and 12 November 2010 remained unanswered by 18 November 2010; and what estimate he has made of the average cost to the Commission of answering a question for ordinary written answer within seven days of tabling in the latest period for which figures are available.

Andrew Tyrie: In Session 2009-10, there were two questions tabled to the Public Accounts Commission for ordinary written answer, of which both were answered within seven days. Between May 2010 and 12 November 2010 there were no questions tabled for ordinary written answer.
	The Public Accounts Commission has not made an estimate of the average cost of answering an ordinary written question within seven days of tabling, but it is noted that HM Treasury has established the cost of a written PQ as £154.00. See paragraph 7.27 at the following link:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/parliamentary-clerk-guide/chapter7.aspx

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Akmyrat Rejepow

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the government of Turkmenistan on the  (a) fate and  (b) whereabouts of Akmyrat Rejepow.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has made no representations to the Turkmen Government on the fate and whereabouts of Akmyrat Rejepow, nor are we aware of a request for us to do so. We understand that Mr Rejepow (a former general in the Turkmen security apparatus) was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment in May 2007, having been convicted on charges of corruption. We understand he is being held in secure detention in Ashgabat or in a prison colony not far from Ashgabat. Mr Rejepow's son, Nurmurad-arrested at the same time-was pardoned in 2007.
	We continue to have a regular and constructive dialogue with the Turkmen Government on human rights issues, both bilaterally and through international fora such as the European Union. Monitoring and raising individual cases forms an important component of this dialogue.

British Council: Finance

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding was provided by his Department to the British Council in each year since 2005.

Jeremy Browne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Sussex (Nicholas Soames) on 27 July 2010,  Official Report, column 970W.

Cayman Islands: Loans

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what conditions were placed on the loan of £217 million to the Cayman Islands authorised in 2009.

Jeremy Browne: The Government gave permission for the Cayman Islands Government to borrow Cayman Island $275 million in October 2009, subject to the Cayman Islands Government (CIG):
	including further savings/efficiency measures in 2009-10 budget plans;
	undertaking an urgent independent impact assessment of the community enhancement fee, alternative forms of payroll tax, property tax and any other tax that would genuinely broaden the revenue base;
	introducing substantial new tax(es) or fee(s) as identified in the impact assessment study as soon as possible and certainly no later than financial year 2010; and
	taking swift action to further cut expenditure and/or raise additional revenue if a greater than expected deficit was recorded.

Cayman Islands: Loans

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what conditions he placed on the loans to the Cayman Islands authorised in June 2010.

Jeremy Browne: The Government gave permission for the Cayman Islands Government to borrow Cayman Island $155 million in June 2010, subject to:
	The measures in the Cayman Islands Government's (CIG) three year plan being fully implemented, which included measures to make significant savings/efficiencies, and raise revenue by increasing fuel duty over the three years;
	CIG using the proceeds of divestment activity to establish a dedicated "sinking fund" within the next year to rebuild reserves and offset debt attached to the recent bond issue;
	CIG restructuring existing loans to put in place arrangements to pay down debt over the longer term; and
	CIG ensuring that the Cayman Islands have a full, up-to-date set of audited accounts by the end of the next financial year; and
	No further requests for borrowing being made over the next financial year.

Diplomatic Service: Domestic Staff

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what regulations govern the  (a) working conditions and  (b) remuneration of domestic staff employed by foreign diplomats accredited to the UK.

Henry Bellingham: Article 41 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961 states that, without prejudice to their privileges and immunities, it is the duty of all diplomats
	'to respect the laws and regulations of the receiving State'.
	This includes employment laws. Diplomatic missions and international organisations in the UK are periodically reminded of their responsibilities with regard to the employment of domestic workers; in August 2010, Protocol Directorate of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office issued a note to all missions highlighting their obligations. Government Departments work together and with non-governmental organisations to monitor the employment rights of domestic workers in foreign diplomatic households in the UK.

European Union

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what powers have been ceded to the EU and in what areas of policy jurisdiction since 10 May 2010 and in each case specifying whether such cession was by  (a) EU legislative instrument,  (b) judicial decision,  (c) operation of a passerelle provision,  (d) the ending of an opt-out,  (e) an agreement to opt-in,  (f) treaty amendment and  (g) other means.

David Lidington: All of the legislative measures that have been adopted since 10 May 2010 have been based on the existing powers and competences conferred on the EU under the existing EU treaties, which have been approved by Parliament. None of the passerelles under the existing EU treaties have been exercised since 10 May 2010. There have been no treaty amendments. We are not aware of any judicial decisions which have resulted in a transfer of competence or power from the UK to the EU. The whole of Title V is an area of shared competence. This position is not altered by the exercise of a UK opt-in.

Football: World Cup 2010

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on attendance at the 2010 FIFA World cup.

Jeremy Browne: No Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Ministers or officials visited South Africa to attend the 2010 World cup, and no money was spent by the FCO on purchasing match tickets.

Government Hospitality: Wines

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many bottles of  (a) red wine,  (b) white wine,  (c) champagne and  (d) fortified wine there are in the Government wine cellar.

Henry Bellingham: The Government Hospitality wine cellar has held between 38,000 and 39,000 bottles of wine for the last five years. The most recent independent stock-take in October 2010 showed that the Government Hospitality wine cellar contained:
	 (a) 25,721 bottles of red wine
	 (b) 7,624 bottles of white wine
	 (c) 1,661 bottles of champagne
	 (d) 2,937 bottles of fortified wine.
	This excludes non-vintage reception wines.
	Cellar stock levels are regularly reassessed and the cellar's performance and value for money are reviewed throughout the year.

Government Hospitality: Wines

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs at which events held between 11 May and 11 November 2010 wine from the Government wine cellar was served.

Henry Bellingham: Events held between 11 May 2010 and 11 November 2010 at which wine from the Government Hospitality wine cellar was served are as follows.
	The following were on a repayment basis:
	13 May 2010: Dinner for British-American business hosted by my hon. Friend the Minister for Trade, Investment and Small Business.
	8 June 2010: Diplomatic reception hosted by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
	9 June 2010: Dinner for Israeli judges hosted by my right hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice.
	5 July 2010: Reception for the Young Offenders Programme led by the National Grid hosted by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice.
	28 July 2010: Reception for energy security hosted by my hon. Friends the Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Minister of State at the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
	13 September 2010: Lunch for Dr Henry Kissinger hosted by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
	21 September 2010: Reception for Eid hosted by my right hon. Friends the Home Secretary, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and other Government Ministers.
	9 November 2010: Dinner for the Secretary of Defence for the Republic of South Africa hosted by my right hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Security Strategy.
	The following were funded by Government Hospitality Fund:
	3 June 2010: Lunch for the Prime Minister of Canada hosted by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister.
	3 June 2010: Dinner for the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs hosted by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
	3 June 2010: Dinner for the Judicial Conference hosted by my right hon. Friends the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice.
	8 June 2010: Lunch for the Secretary of Defence of the United States of America hosted by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence.
	16 June 2010: Lunch for the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates hosted by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
	18 June 2010: Lunches for the President of the Republic of France and his Ministers hosted by my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister.
	23 June 2010: Dinner for Reconnaissance Visit from the Holy See hosted by my noble Friend the right hon. Lord Patten of Barnes CH PC (Chancellor of the University of Oxford).
	28 June 2010: Lunch for the Minister of Defence of the Federal Republic of Germany hosted by my right hon. Friend Secretary of State for Defence.
	28 June 2010: Dinner for the Five Country Conference hosted by my hon. Friend the Minister for Immigration.
	5 July 2010: Lunch for the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan hosted by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
	7 July 2010: Dinner for the international energy forums hosted by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Energy and Climate Change.
	8 July 2010: Lunch for the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey hosted by my hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
	20 July 2010: Reception for Indian Government/industry officials who attended the Farnborough International Air Show hosted by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Security Strategy.
	28 July 2010: Lunch for the State Secretary of Labour and Social Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany hosted by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Employment.
	5 August 2010: Dinner for the President of Pakistan hosted by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister.
	6 September 2010: Dinner for the capital markets climate initiative hosted by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change.
	8 September 2010: Dinner for the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam hosted by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Commonwealth Affairs.
	17 September 2010: Dinner for Pope Benedict XVI's delegation hosted by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
	27 September 2010: Lunch for the Minister for Roads, Transport and Highways of the Republic of India hosted by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport.
	27 September 2010: Lunch for the Reconnaissance Party for the state visit of the Emir of Qatar.
	21 October 2010: Lunch for the UK/Mexico high level talks hosted by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
	21 October 2010: Lunch for the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland hosted by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
	25 October 2010: Lunch for the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi hosted by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister.
	25 October 2010: Lunch for the Finance Minister for the Swiss Confederation hosted by my hon. Friend the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury.
	26/27 October 2010: Lunch and state banquet for the state visit of the Emir of Qatar hosted by Her Majesty the Queen.
	27 October 2010: Dinner for the Secretary for Policy, Strategy and International Affairs of the Federative Republic of Brazil hosted by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Security Strategy.
	30/31 October 2010: Lunch and dinner for the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany hosted by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister.
	2 November 2010: Lunch for the UK-France summit hosted by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister.
	8 November 2010: Dinner for the International Energy Forum hosted by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change.
	11 November 2010 Lunch for the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Austria hosted by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

Iraq: Christianity

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for the Wrekin of 15 November 2010,  Official Report, column 631W, on Iraq: Christianity, what the outcomes were of his meeting with the Iraqi Foreign Minister; and if he will take further steps to seek to secure protection for institutions in Iraq.

Alistair Burt: Iraqi Foreign Minister Zebari confirmed to my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 10 November that the protection of minorities was the responsibility of the Iraqi Government. This responsibility has been recognised more widely by the Iraqi Prime Minister and the newly elected Speaker of the Council of Representatives Usamah Al-Nujaifi. The Speaker has requested that Christian MP Yonadam Kanna form a parliamentary committee to prepare recommendations for protecting Christians and follow up investigations into the recent attacks. The Iraqi Council of Representatives has also called for increased recruitment of Christians into the Iraq security forces.
	During my visit to Iraq from 22-25 November I raised the need to improve the protection of Christians and other minorities with all his interlocutors. The British Government will continue to press the Iraqi Government to ensure that Iraqi constitutional commitments to guarantee the rights and freedoms of citizens is respected and protected. We will also continue to urge the Iraqi Government to protect all communities, especially vulnerable minority groups and to deal appropriately with those who are found responsible for any acts of violence and intimidation because of political, ethnic or religious affiliation.

Israel: OECD

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the UK representation is on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development  (a) Committee of Statistics and  (b) study team quantifying the effects on Israeli macro-economic statistics of the inclusion of the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Jeremy Browne: The UK Statistics Authority represents the UK on the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Committee on Statistics. The authority will also represent the UK on the study team quantifying the effects on Israeli macro-economic statistics of the inclusion of the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank. This work is expected to begin in early 2011.

Palestinians: International Assistance

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how much funding his Department provided to non-governmental organisations within the Palestinian Authorities of the West Bank and Gaza in each financial year since 2003; and for what purposes such funds were allocated;
	(2)  how much funding his Department has provided to non-governmental organisations located in the Palestinian authorities of the West Bank and Gaza in each financial year since 2003; and for what purposes such payments were made.

Alistair Burt: Between 2003-04 and 2009-10 financial years, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has provided £2,420,960 to non-governmental organisations within the West Bank and Gaza. The breakdown is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2003-04 (1)- 
			 2004-05 122,000 
			 2005-06 104,482 
			 2006-07 542,328 
			 2007-08 484,113 
			 2008-09 604,824 
			 2009-10 563,213 
			 (1) No allocation 
		
	
	The list of organisations and project funding for 2010-11 is an indicative list, as funding cannot be confirmed at this point of the financial year.
	The FCO utilises a number of funding programmes with the purpose of (a) strengthening the bilateral relationship (b) helping to manage or mitigate conflicts and (c) developing the capacity of non-state actors in the West Bank and Gaza to provide oversight of the Executive and its actions including monitoring of human rights, access to justice and social welfare.

Piracy

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on the development of policy to counter international piracy.

David Lidington: There have been no recent meetings at North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) at ministerial level specifically to discuss counter piracy. But, in the communiqué of its recent Lisbon summit, NATO renewed its commitment to counter piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean through its Operation Ocean Shield.
	NATO works closely alongside the EU's Operation Atalanta and the Combined Maritime Forces so as to respond effectively and coherently to the threat of piracy, including on allocation of assets to the large area of operations. NATO is also a key partner in the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, working comprehensively to address operational, legal and regional capacity concerns to ensure that piracy is tackled on a sustainable basis, including at its roots.
	The UK continues to support the operation, which has recently has had its mandate extended until 2012. The Royal Navy currently has a frigate and auxiliary vessel allocated to Operation Ocean Shield.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Agriculture: Training

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how much funding from the public purse will be available for  (a) apprenticeship schemes and  (b) vocational courses in the agricultural sector (i) nationally and (ii) in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich constituency in 2011-12.
	(2)  how many places will be available for  (a) apprenticeship schemes and  (b) vocational courses in the agricultural sector (i) nationally and (ii) in the Central Suffolk and North Ipswich constituency in 2011-12.

John Hayes: "Investing Skills for Sustainable Growth" was published on 16 November. In the 2011-12 financial year, we plan to invest £3.9 billion in FE skills for post 19 learners. This includes £3.7 billion for over three million adult training places funded through the Skills Funding Agency. In the 2011-12 financial year, £605 million is earmarked for adult apprenticeships. Spend on adult apprenticeships will increase by up to £250 million, relative to the previous Government, by the end of the spending review period, supporting an additional 75,000 people to start an apprenticeship by 2014-15.
	In support of the coalition Government's principle of greater freedom, "Skills for Sustainable Growth and Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth" set out the abolition of central targets and increased freedom and flexibility for further education colleges and training organisations to respond effectively to the needs of employers, learners and their communities. It will be for individual colleges and training organisations, working directly with their local partners, to determine the offer that best meets the needs of their communities.
	From the 2011/12 academic year, there will be a single adult skills budget, with earmarked delivery for apprenticeships. As part of its allocations process later this year, the Skills Funding Agency will set out a minimum expectation of apprenticeships delivery. Further Education colleges and training organisations will be able to use their single adult skills budget allocation to expand apprenticeships. However, any diversion of funding away from apprenticeships is to be agreed with the Agency.
	Information on learner participation and achievement in further education is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 16 November and can be viewed at:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current

Credit: Regulation

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has made an estimate of the numbers of UK residents who have been refused access to credit through banks and building societies in the last 10 years.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 30 November 2010
	The Government do not collect data on the number of UK residents refused credit by banks and building societies.
	The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills commissions a quarterly survey (carried out by YouGov), which monitors the latest consumer credit and debt trends. The following table has been produced from this survey, showing the proportion of the population who have applied for credit (broken down by credit type) in the last six months and the outcome of this application.
	
		
			  Proportion of the population who have applied for unsecured credit and the outcome of this application (where the outcome is known) in the last six months 
			  Credit product  Proportion of the population who applied for credit/loans (percentage)  Application was rejected (percentage)  Percentage of total population 
			 Credit card 8 24 1.9 
			 Unsecured loan 3 33 0.7 
			 Overdraft facility 2 29 0.8 
			 Store card 1 19 0.3 
			 Mail order 1 14 0.2 
			 Car finance loan 1 9 0.1 
			  Notes: 1. Based on 2009-10 YouGov data, sample size 13,172. 2. The statistics in the table need to be interpreted with caution. Due to data limitations, we are unable to say how many individuals were refused credit completely in the last six months. For instance, a borrower may have refused a credit card, but was able to secure an overdraft facility. In addition, the values in the table cannot be summed, to produce statistics on the proportion of the population refused credit. This is because some borrowers may have been rejected for more than one credit product. Certain credit products have been excluded such as payday loans and home credit, which are unlikely to be offered by banks and building societies.

Departmental Food

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has guidelines on ensuring that food used for his Department's official functions is of domestic origin.

Edward Davey: The Department's contracted catering and conference supplier Baxterstorey are accredited to the Red Tractor Farm Assurance Scheme and are fully compliant, demonstrating robust support for enhanced animal welfare, environmental responsibility, quality produce and supporting British producers.
	The Department adheres wherever possible to the five key objectives of the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative (PSFPI). These objectives run in parallel to those of Baxterstorey, which form part of the policies that result in the approach to sustainable and ethical procurement. For example all eggs used on the departmental estate are British, Lion Brand standard and free range and 99% of all pork and bacon products are British and supplied by Red Tractor accredited suppliers.

Higher Education: Admissions

Elizabeth Truss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the participation rate was of people aged 18 years in each income quintile entering higher education for the first time in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Willetts: The Department does not publish information in the form requested. Latest figures show that 15% of pupils aged 15 in 2003/04 who claimed free school meals (FSM) at English maintained schools progressed to HE by the age of 19 in 2007/08. The equivalent figure for young people who did not claim free school meals is 33%.
	FSM eligibility is means tested and the majority of FSM young people are from households in receipt of some form of income support. Some 14% of young people claim free school meals.
	These figures have been estimated using matched data from the National Pupil Database, the Higher Education Statistics Agency Student Record and the Learning and Skills Council Individualised Learner Record. Figures for 2008/09 will be available next year.
	The Department uses a number of measures to monitor progress on participation of disadvantaged students, such as those from low participation neighbourhoods, and low socio-economic groups. However, figures in this answer have been provided as receipt of FSM is directly related to family income.

Higher Education: Finance

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 11 November 2010,  Official Report, column 480W, on higher education: finance, what the outcomes were of his discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

David Willetts: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable) and I have discussed the proposed changes to higher education funding and student finance at Cabinet. Our statements to the House of Commons on this subject reflect the Government position, as agreed at these meetings.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to fund the development of local enterprise partnerships; by what mechanisms such partnerships will be able to bid for funds from his Department to fulfil their duties; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: No central Government spending has been allocated specifically to fund the activities of local enterprise partnerships. As set out in the White Paper on Local Growth local enterprise partnerships will be expected to fund their own day-to-day running costs and will also want to consider how they can obtain the best value for public money by leveraging in private sector investment. The mechanisms for how local enterprise partnerships may bid for centrally available funds, such as the regional growth fund, will be specific to the fund itself. Details regarding how to access the regional growth fund can be found on the Department's website at the following address:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/regional-economic-development/regional-growth-fund

Manufacturing Industries: Trade Competitiveness

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to support competitiveness in the manufacturing sector.

Mark Prisk: The Government are supporting manufacturing by creating a stable business environment that will give businesses the confidence they need to plan and invest. We are doing this by creating a more supportive tax environment, freeing up credit through the banking system, reducing regulation, maximising the flexibility of the labour market and focusing on training and apprenticeships. The Government announced in the spending review that they will invest up to £200 million to support manufacturing and business development focusing on high growth business and innovation particularly among small and medium sized businesses.
	The Government have launched their comprehensive growth review and this will ensure that all Departments are actively removing barriers faced by industry.
	As part of the phased reporting process, we will conduct a detailed look into barriers to growth within advanced manufacturing.
	Also on 6 December we will be launching a new approach to manufacturing that will highlight key ambitions, identify growth opportunities and set out a new framework of actions for both Government and industry.

Regional Growth Fund

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 11 November 2010,  Official Report, column 485W, on the Regional Growth Fund, what types of proposals will meet the criteria to be considered as strategic investment programmes.

Mark Prisk: There will be a separate bidding form and guidance for programme proposals, which will be made available in early 2011. Programme proposals are therefore not included within the first bidding round.

UK Trade and Investment: Bahrain

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps UKTI is taking to increase trade and investment with the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Mark Prisk: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) supports business with Bahrain through trade and investment teams based in the British embassy in Manama and in the UK. UKTI provides a broad range of support for British companies-from conferences and trade missions to support for trade fairs and exhibitions-and also oversees annual trade and economic talks with Bahrain aimed at prioritising opportunities and improving the environment for bilateral trade and investment. The most recent talks resulted in the signature of a bilateral Double Taxation Agreement in March 2010.
	Recent examples of support for business with Bahrain include visits by the Lord Mayor of the City of London in February; and by the UK's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, HRH The Duke of York, in May. UKTI organised scoping visits to Bahrain in the spring of 2010 focused on the creative industries and sports infrastructure sectors; and also organised a UK pavilion of 18 companies at the World Islamic Banking Conference in Manama in November. Regular events are organised by UKTI in the UK to raise awareness of opportunities in Bahrain, including a middle east road show in February and a financial services road show in September. UKTI also staged a 'Britain in the Region' event in Dubai in November aimed at encouraging British companies with regional headquarters in Dubai into other markets in the middle east, including Bahrain.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Attorney-General how many EU directives are pending transposition into domestic legislation by the Law Officers' Department; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such transposition.

Dominic Grieve: The information is as follows:
	1. None
	2. None.

PRIME MINISTER

Pupils: Bullying

Mary Glindon: To ask the Prime Minister if he will establish a Cabinet Sub-Committee on the prevention of and responses to bullying in schools.

David Cameron: The Schools White Paper made clear our expectation that all schools should take a zero tolerance approach to bullying. Bullying in schools is discussed by the relevant Cabinet Committees.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts: Cumbria County Council

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the effect of local authority funding reductions on arts organisations based in the Cumbria county council area.

Edward Vaizey: It is central Government's role to empower local communities and local authorities to make the decisions that they feel are most appropriate for their area.
	The Department will continue to fund the arts through Arts Council England, who provide support to a number of regularly funded organisations across the country.

Arts: Sunderland City Council

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the likely effects of local authority funding reductions on arts organisations in the Sunderland city council area.

Edward Vaizey: It is central Government's role to empower local communities and local authorities to make the decisions that they feel are most appropriate for their area.
	The Department will continue to fund the arts through Arts Council England, who provide support to a number of regularly funded organisations across the country.

Broadband

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the cost to the economy of the introduction of high-speed broadband services across the UK by 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 30 November 2010
	Overall, we believe there will be a net benefit to the economy from the introduction of superfast broadband. The Government have made no recent estimate of the costs of deploying superfast broadband. The Broadband Stakeholder Group recently published a complementary report on the costs of fixed wireless and satellite broadband.
	The Government have committed £530 million to facilitate the delivery of universal broadband and stimulate private sector investment to deliver the best superfast broadband network in Europe by 2015.

Co-production Agreement between the UK and Israel

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the revenue likely to be raised as a result of the co-production agreement between the UK and Israel in  (a) 2010,  (b) 2011,  (c) 2012,  (d) 2013 and  (e) 2014.

Edward Vaizey: We have estimated an average annual benefit of between £0.5 million and £2.5 million. The monetised benefits reflect spending on films which would not have occurred without the treaty being in place. The range reflects a lower case scenario where one film is made every two years with £1 million UK spend, and the upper case involves five films with £1 million spend made every two years.
	In addition, research indicates that film locations can get up to a 30% boost in bookings from fans visiting locations from their favourite film (e.g. the Harry Potter films have helped boost tourism in the Northumberland area by 16%). As well as clear tourism potential, there are cultural benefits to the UK of greater film diversity. Given that the film industry largely comprises Single Purpose Vehicles it is difficult to predict in advance how many businesses will make use of the treaty. We do not believe it will be significantly higher than projections, particularly in the first few years.

Co-production Agreement between the UK and Israel

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he has assessed the merits of extending to other countries the provisions of the co-production agreement agreed with Israel.

Edward Vaizey: The recently signed film co-production agreements with Israel, and with the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, were the ninth and tenth agreements respectively to be signed in full. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport also has similar co-production agreements with Australia, Canada, France, Jamaica, New Zealand, South Africa, India and Morocco-the Moroccan treaty was signed last year but has yet to be fully ratified by the Moroccan authorities.

Copyright: Recordings

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will assess the likely effect on the British music industry of the expiry of 50 years' copyright on recordings in the next 10 years.

Edward Davey: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 18 November 2010,  Official Report, columns 889-90W. There are no plans to undertake the work described.

Departmental Sponsorship

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what expenditure  (a) his Department and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies incurred on sponsorship in each year since 1997 for which figures are available.

John Penrose: The Department does not provide corporate sponsorship or branding for events but it does encourage sponsorship of its sectors from the world of business.
	Data on expenditure incurred by non-departmental public bodies are not held centrally. Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of each non-departmental public body to respond to the hon. Member for Witham directly. A copy of the responses will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Newsquest Media Group

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent meetings  (a) Ministers and  (b) civil servants in his Department have had with directors of the Newsquest Media Group on local media provision.

Edward Vaizey: As part of Nicholas Shott's review of local TV he undertook a visit to Scotland where he met with a range of interested parties including Newsquest. He was accompanied by a member of his steering group and an official from the Department.

TREASURY

Air Passenger Duty

Richard Fuller: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will change the basis for calculating air passenger duty banding from London to capital city of destination to London to destination;
	(2)  if he will change the air passenger duty banding for destinations in the Caribbean to be the same as that for destinations on the east coast of the United States.

Justine Greening: The June Budget stated that the Government will explore changes to the aviation tax system, including switching from a per-passenger to a per-plane duty. Major changes will be subject to consultation.

Banks: Finance

Frank Dobson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the monetary value is of  (a) loans and  (b) guarantees given to UK banks by his Department since 2007.

Mark Hoban: A full breakdown of financial support provided to UK banks is published by the Treasury on a financial year basis. Details of the support provided for the years 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 are set out in the Treasury's Resource Accounts for 2007-08 (HC 539), 2008-09 (HC 611) and 2009-10 (HC261), respectively.

Banks: Loans

Nick Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 18 November 2010,  Official Report, column 894W, on banks: loans, if he will undertake an assessment of trends in the criteria for setting personal guarantees for loans over the last 10 years.

Mark Hoban: In response to the Government's Green Paper on business finance, the British Bankers; Association (BBA) published the outcomes of their Business Finance Taskforce, which were written in conjunction with the six major UK banks.
	As part of these commitments, the banks have agreed to fund and establish an independent business survey. This survey will provide more information of the experience of small businesses in applying for finance.

Copyright: Music

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the additional revenue to the Exchequer attributable to an extension to 75 years of musicians' copyright in the last 10 years.

David Gauke: I refer the hon. Gentlemen to the answer I gave him on 22 November 2010,  Official Report, column 84W.

Employers' Liability: Asbestos

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward proposals for a requirement for employers to insure themselves against potential harm caused to employees by asbestosis.

Chris Grayling: I have been asked to reply.
	The Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 requires employers carrying on business in Great Britain to insure their liability to their employees for bodily injury or disease sustained in the course of their employment. This Act ensures that those with asbestos-related diseases can claim compensation against their Employers' Liability insurance, where the employer has been negligent in exposing them to asbestos while at work.
	However, a recent Court of Appeal case has considered how the wording of these Employers' Liability insurance policies affects civil compensation for mesothelioma sufferers and we had hoped that the judgment would have provided a general principle on how these policies should deal with their mesothelioma claims. The court decided that the policies should be interpreted based on the actual policy wording, which means that some sufferers may not be able to claim compensation if the insurance policy was worded in such a way that prevents a claim from being made. We expect this judgment to be appealed to the Supreme Court.
	In February 2010 the previous Government published their consultation document, 'Accessing Compensation-Supporting people who need to trace Employers' Liability insurance', which set out proposals for people who need to find their Employers' Liability insurance policies in order to claim compensation. The consultation closed on 5 May 2010. There were two proposals; firstly an Employers' Liability Tracing Office, that would manage a database of EL policies. Secondly, an Employers' Liability Insurance Bureau which would be a compensation fund of last resort for those individuals who are unable to trace EL insurance records, ensuring they are able to receive compensation for injuries or diseases sustained during the course of their employment. We are in active discussions with all stakeholders on how this situation can be addressed and we will publish our response to the consultation in due course.

Income Tax

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the amount of revenue which accrued from income tax from employees in each business sector in each of the last three years.

David Gauke: A sectoral breakdown of income tax revenues for the latest three years is not available.
	Estimated shares of pay as you earn tax liabilities deducted from pay (excluding pensions) by industry to 2007-08 are published in table 2.10 on the HMRC website:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_tax/table2-10.xls
	Total PAYE tax (excluding pensions) is estimated at £107.2 billion, £115.7 billion and £123.3 billion in respect of liabilities for 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 respectively.

Members: Correspondence

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Chief Secretary to the Treasury plans to respond to the letters of 17 September 2010 and 1 November 2010 from the hon. Member for Cardiff West.

Mark Hoban: I have replied to the hon. Member.

Mortgages

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether he has assessed the effect of the mortgage market proposals made by the Financial Services Authority on small businesses with a turnover under £1 million;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the likely effect on house prices of the mortgage market proposals made by the Financial Services Authority; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The Government are committed to a healthy housing and mortgage market.
	The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is conducting a wholesale review of mortgage regulation in the UK, the 'Mortgage Market Review'.
	The Government believe that it is right for the FSA to ensure that the UK mortgage market has responsible lending practices. We will continue to work with the FSA, mortgage lenders and intermediaries, and consumer groups to ensure a mortgage market that is sustainable for all participants.
	The FSA published 'Mortgage Market Review: Responsible Lending' in July which sets out the detail of some of the proposed changes. This paper forms one part of an ongoing consultation process.
	The FSA has stated that it will fully assess the potential impact on the market before implementing any rule changes. Further, the FSA will consult in 2011 on transitional measures to help mitigate any adverse effects on existing borrowers.

Mortgages

Robert Syms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether he has assessed the effect of the mortgage market proposals made by the Financial Services Authority on small businesses with a turnover under £1 million;
	(2)  whether he has assessed the effect of the Financial Services Authority's mortgage market review proposals on the  (a) availability of mortgages and  (b) operation of the housing market; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  whether he has discussed with the Council of Mortgage Lenders the proposals on responsible lending made by the Financial Services Authority and their likely effect on the housing market;
	(4)  if he will take steps to ensure that the implementation of the Financial Services Authority's mortgage market review proposals does not have a negative effect on home-buyers and the housing market;
	(5)  what estimate he has made of the number of borrowers who may not be able to take out remortgages following the introduction of the Financial Services Authority's proposals for the mortgage market; and if he will bring forward measures to assist such borrowers;
	(6)  what estimate he has made of the number of mortgages granted since 2005 which would not have been issued under the Financial Services Authority's proposals for the mortgage market;
	(7)  if he will take steps to ensure that  (a) self-employed and  (b) other homebuyers with variable incomes will be able to obtain mortgages under the Financial Services Authority's proposals for the mortgage market;
	(8)  what assessment he has made of the likely effects of implementation of the Financial Services Authority's proposals on the availability of mortgage finance and on home-ownership in the UK.

Mark Hoban: The Government are committed to a healthy housing and mortgage market.
	The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is conducting a wholesale review of mortgage regulation in the UK, the 'Mortgage Market Review'.
	The Government believe that it is right for the FSA to ensure that the UK mortgage market has responsible lending practices. We will continue to work with the FSA, mortgage lenders and intermediaries, and consumer groups to ensure a mortgage market that is sustainable for all participants.
	The FSA published 'Mortgage Market Review: Responsible Lending' in July, which sets out the details of some of the proposed changes. This paper forms one part of an ongoing consultation process.
	The FSA has stated that it will fully assess the potential impact on the market before implementing any rule changes. Further, the FSA will consult in 2011 on transitional measures to help mitigate any adverse effects on existing borrowers.
	Treasury Ministers and officials have discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions.

Private Finance Initiative: Newton Abbot

Anne-Marie Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what schemes under the Private Finance Initiative there are in Newton Abbot constituency.

Danny Alexander: A list of signed and in procurement PFI projects can be found on HM Treasury's website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/ppp_pfi_stats.htm
	For each PFI project, this list details the project name, the capital value, the constituency, the procuring authority and whether it is on or off balance sheet; as used by the ONS in calculating public sector net debt. This indicates that there are currently no PFI projects in the Newton Abbot constituency.

Revenue and Customs: Marketing

Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 23 November 2010,  Official Report, column 274W, on incentives, from which of its budgets HM Revenue and Customs funds expenditure on promotional material; and how much has been spent from each such budget in each of the last three years.

David Gauke: In HMRC, promotional items may be printed paper, office supplies or non paper items. These items will have been purchased via a range of budgets including commodities such as print and paper/stationery. From these budgets promotional materials are not identifiable from other items and cannot be disaggregated except at disproportionate cost. No central record is held of the spend on promotional materials and is not available except at disproportionate cost.

Tax Yields

Liam Byrne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue his Department raised through  (a) personal,  (b) direct business,  (c) consumption,  (d) property and  (e) environmental taxes from the (i) business services, (ii) education, health and social work, (iii) financial intermediation, (iv) manufacturing, (v) other wholesale and retail trade, (vi) transport services, (vii) construction, (viii) real estate and renting, (ix) public administration, (x) oil and gas extraction, (xi) insurance and pension funding, (xii) hotels and restaurants, (xiii) recreational and social activities, (xiv) postal and telecommunications, (xv) other services, (xvi) energy, gas and water supply, (xvii) agriculture, forestry and fishing and (xviii) mining and quarrying except oil and gas sector in each financial year since 1997-98.

David Gauke: The full breakdown of tax receipts outlined in the question is not available.
	HMRC produce a breakdown by broad industrial sector for corporation tax, PAYE income tax and class 1 national insurance contributions (NICs) and value added tax (VAT).
	Historical figures for corporation tax receipts paid by several broadly-defined business sectors are regularly updated and published in table 11.1 on the HMRC National Statistics website. Receipts information is available from 1997-98 to 2009-10. The sectors are defined by HMRC's Summary Trade Classifications. The latest update is available here:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/corporate_tax/table11_1.pdf
	PAYE income tax and class 1 NICs received by HMRC in respect of employee and employer liabilities are split by sector as follows:
	
		
			  £ billion 
			  Sector  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Agriculture, Hunting and Forestry 664 630 598 617 676 730 
			 Mining and Quarrying 701 762 675 673 654 669 
			 Manufacturing 24,185 24,752 23,925 23,731 25,133 25,696 
			 Electricity, Gas and Water Supply 1,225 1,229 1,118 1,089 1,098 1,135 
			 Construction 6,981 7,597 8,200 8,974 10,164 10,751 
			 Wholesale and Retail Trade 14,944 15,824 15,978 17,025 18,733 19,729 
			 Hotels and Restaurants 2,314 2,457 2,558 2,806 3,200 3,450 
			 Transport, Storage and Communication 8,779 9,801 10,139 10,104 10,912 11,939 
			 Financial Intermediation 11,866 15,525 15,115 15,536 17,001 18,739 
			 Real Estate, Renting and Business Activities 22,830 26,582 28,050 27,948 29,567 32,221 
			 Public Administration and Defence 6,086 5,899 5,994 6,293 7,525 10,544 
			 Education 11,441 12,442 13,206 14,105 16,274 17,498 
			 Health and Social Work 8,648 9,035 9,659 10,845 12,959 14,598 
			 Other Community, Social and Personal Service Activities 4,060 4,527 4,747 5,026 5,691 6,169 
			 Occupational Pensions 5,989 6,300 6,561 6,671 6,752 7,166 
			 Other 645 1,384 2,385 1,920 1,547 1,676 
			 Total 131,358 144,748 148,905 153,363 167,887 182,709 
		
	
	
		
			  £ billion 
			  Sector  20 05-06  20 06-07  20 07-08  20 08-09  20 09-10 
			 Accounting Adjustment 765 782 839 865 858 
			 Sector 757 829 864 961 982 
			 Agriculture, Hunting and Forestry 25,898 26,570 27,355 26,056 23,464 
			 Mining and Quarrying 1,135 1,253 1,429 1,519 1,514 
			 Manufacturing 11,575 12,428 14,236 13,779 11,896 
			 Wholesale and Retail Trade 20,554 21,512 22,895 22,574 21,339 
			 Construction 3,640 3,891 4,046 3,857 3,732 
			 Wholesale and Retail Trade 12,676 12,826 13,125 13,062 12,289 
			 Hotels and Restaurants 20,673 24,085 26,160 23,691 23,184 
			 Real Estate, Renting and Business Activities 35,182 38,996 44,009 45,581 43,286 
			 Public Administration and Defence 11,324 11,658 11,965 11,821 12,476 
			 Real Estate, Renting and Business 18,456 19,422 20,133 20,487 20,747 
			 Public Administration and Defence 16,167 17,454 17,735 18,385 19,530 
			 Other Community, Social and Personal Service Activities 6,585 7,025 7,344 7,531 7,257 
			 Occupational Pensions 7,609 8,402 9,195 9,449 10,058 
			 Other 1,627 352 -43 70 -263 
			 Total 194,623 207,484 221,286 219,690 212,350 
		
	
	Data are available back to 1999-2000 only. The sectors are defined by the Office for National Statistics' Standard Industrial Classification 2003. The occupational pensions figures include all income tax on occupational pensions regardless of the sector in which the person was previously employed.
	Declared VAT is published by trade group in the VAT factsheet, table 2-3:
	https://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=factvat
	Given that sectors for corporation tax, VAT and PAYE income tax and class 1 NICs are defined differently these sets of figures are not directly comparable.

Taxation: Music

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much tax revenue was raised in respect of the UK-based music industry in  (a) 2005,  (b) 2006,  (c) 2007,  (d) 2008 and  (e) 2009.

David Gauke: The information required to answer the question is not available.

Taxation: Music

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has made a recent assessment of the merits of tax incentives to encourage the development of UK musical talent.

David Gauke: The Government seek to provide a competitive environment and tax system for businesses and individuals across the economy.
	The Government believe that simplicity and stability are features of good tax policy, and that in general a tax system with fewer reliefs and allowances will provide the best incentive for economic growth.

VAT: Churches

Henry Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will seek agreement from the Council of Ministers to zero-rate value added tax on repairs to historic church buildings.

David Gauke: EU legislation agreed by successive Governments does not provide any scope for the introduction of new zero rates or the extension of existing zero rates. There is therefore no realistic prospect of securing agreement to the introduction of a new zero rate for repairs to historic church buildings. However, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport operates a scheme which makes grants equivalent to the VAT incurred in making repairs to listed buildings primarily used for worship. The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme will continue until 2014-15 with a fixed annual budget of £12 million.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing: Construction

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effects of the proposed changes to rules under which new social housing can be constructed on the potential for small housing associations who do not construct new housing to amalgamate with other  (a) large and  (b) small housing associations; and if he will make a statement.

Grant Shapps: We continue to encourage housing associations to explore models for management or ownership rationalisation if this will deliver better value-for-money and improved services for tenants.
	The Government do not have a fixed view about what size a Housing Association should be. There are excellent large and small Housing Associations in existence.

Localism Bill

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to publish the Localism Bill.

Greg Clark: The Localism Bill contains a wide range of measures to shift power from central Government into the hands of individuals, communities and councils. The Bill frees local government from central and regional control and strengthens local democracy. In addition, it gives greater power over planning, housing and other services and allows councils and councillors to be better held to account.
	The Bill will be published imminently.

Housing: Construction

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of new houses which would need to be built in Southampton unitary authority area in each of the next five years in order for the authority to establish a net income gain under the terms of the New Homes Bonus scheme.

Grant Shapps: The New Homes Bonus will start in April 2011 and will match fund the additional council tax raised for new homes and properties brought back into use for the following six years, with an additional amount for affordable homes.
	The Department has set aside almost £l billion over the comprehensive spending review period for the scheme, including nearly £200 million in 2011-12 in year one. Funding beyond these levels will come from formula grant.
	The New Homes Bonus consultation is available at;
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingsupply/newhomesbonus
	This is accompanied by a calculator which will enable you to estimate grant from the New Homes Bonus for Southampton. This can be found at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/1767709.xls
	We will announce our proposals for the local government finance settlement for 2011-12, in the usual manner, in due course.

Housing: Costs

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on the average  (a) cost of management charges,  (b) cost of maintenance and  (c) return on capital expenditure in respect of the housing stock in each sector in each region.

Andrew Stunell: The following table provides estimates of the average annual routine and planned maintenance costs per unit for social landlords, based on data provided to the Tenant Services Authority. Cost figures are derived from published financial statements, include only landlords managing more than 1,000 social homes and use end of year stock numbers to produce average costs. This information is not available on a regional basis.
	
		
			  £'s per unit 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Routine maintenance costs 606 614 630 685 
			 Planned maintenance costs 258 264 271 302 
			 Management costs 731 779 844 893 
		
	
	There is no suitable measure with which to calculate the return on capital invested for this sector. This is because most social landlords are non-profit making organisations and the valuation of assets across the sector at both historical cost and current value prevents a valid aggregation of such measures.
	The following table gives data on local authority expenditure on supervision and management and repairs, for council housing in 2007-08 and 2008-09 by region. This is taken from local authorities' annual second advance housing revenue account subsidy claim forms submitted to the Department for Communities and Local Government. The regional split in the table is derived from the 'Live tables on housing finance and household expenditure, Table 652' available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/housingfinance/livetables/
	
		
			  Average per dwelling (£) 
			   2007-08  2008-09 
			   Supervision and  m anagement:   Supervision and  m anagement:  
			   General  Special  Repairs  General  Special  Repairs 
			 North East 624 364 753 653 401 790 
			 North West 878 512 918 677 403 979 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 756 188 795 769 200 811 
			 East Midlands 601 238 850 637 243 889 
			 West Midlands 689 298 1,067 651 267 953 
			 East 701 387 924 681 393 893 
			 London 1,536 606 1,185 1,591 606 1,259 
			 South East 859 414 1,032 719 363 933 
			 South West 654 277 814 750 294 821 
			 National Average 858 367 902 902 380 974 
			  Notes: General management includes expenditure on supervision and management of housing revenue account (HRA) property, eg policy and management, managing tenancies, rent collection and accounting. Special services include services (mainly shared) to HRA tenants, eg caretaking, cleaning, communal lighting, lifts, communal heating, laundry services, concierge schemes, ground maintenance and welfare services (excluding essential care and other special services). 
		
	
	There is no suitable measure with which to calculate the return on capital invested for this sector.

Mortgages

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on financial assistance to first-time homebuyers who commit a large proportion of their income in mortgage payments in order to get on to the property ladder.

Grant Shapps: The Government are committed to helping those who aspire to own their own home, through ensuring a return to economic and financial stability. The Government are seeking to achieve this through a programme of debt reduction and a commitment to abolish the structural deficit in the life of this Parliament. This will help to keep mortgage interest rates low and improve credit availability.
	The coalition agreement included a commitment to promote shared ownership. While grant funding under the new investment model for affordable housing announced in the spending review will primarily target the new affordable rented product, there may be some scope for delivery of low cost home ownership as part of the contractual arrangements with providers where this is appropriate for local circumstances.

Park Homes: Caravan Sites

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many residential park homes there are on licensed park home sites in each county.

Grant Shapps: These data are not collected.
	The Department has made no official estimate on this, but soundings in the sector suggest there are approximately 85,000 park homes on 2,000 sites in England and 5,000 homes on 100 sites in Wales.

Poverty: Children

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to ensure that local authorities are allocated the resources to meet their obligations under the Child Poverty Act 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah Teather: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are committed to ending child poverty by 2020 and recognise the critical role of local authorities and other partners in achieving that aim. Part 2 of the Child Poverty Act 2010 introduced new duties for local partners to co-operate and carry out local child poverty needs assessments and develop joint child poverty strategies. In recognition of the potential costs of carrying out that work the Government have made an additional £9.5 million available this year to ensure local authorities have the resources to meet the local duties.
	Funding will be provided for the remainder of this implementation year (2010-11) to support local authorities in England who are leading the co-operation around the duties. Payments will be distributed to all 'top-tier' local authorities via the area based grant and the first payments were made in October.

Squatting

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many incidents of squatting were recorded  (a) in Brighton and Hove constituency and  (b) nationally in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008, and (iii) 2009.

Grant Shapps: Information on the number of dwellings that are occupied by squatters is not held centrally.

Tenancy Deposit Schemes

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of disputes in respect of tenancy deposit protection schemes resulted in a decision in favour of the tenant in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-9 and  (c) 2009-10.

Grant Shapps: My Department does not hold this information. My hon. Friend may wish to contact the three companies running the tenancy deposit protection schemes directly.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to reduce the number of  (a) squatters and  (b) unauthorised encampments.

Grant Shapps: In relation to squatting, on 8 November I published an online guide for home owners affected by squatters. This sets out their rights and the action they can take. We are also taking steps to help get empty homes back into productive and lawful use, thus reducing the scope for squatting.
	In relation to Parliament square, I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 25 November 2010,  Official Report, column 439.
	In relation to unauthorised encampments, I refer my hon. Friend to the press notice of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles) on 29 August 2010, a copy of which is in the Library. It outlines the new Government's approach of providing incentives and support for authorised Traveller sites, while removing the counter-productive regime of top-down planning and ensuring fair play in the planning system.
	The forthcoming Localism Bill and changes to secondary legislation will include provisions to end the abuse of retrospective planning permission and will give councils stronger powers to tackle unauthorised development in all its forms.

Working Neighbourhoods Fund

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the closure of the Working Neighbourhoods Fund on the most deprived communities in the country; and what sources of funding will be available to support such areas in the spending review period.

Bob Neill: The Working Neighbourhoods Fund was a time-limited, three year programme scheduled to run from 2009-11. In line with our equalities duties, an equality impact assessment into the completion of the Working Neighbourhoods Fund has been carried out and will be published in due course.
	Businesses and local authorities in areas which currently receive the Fund will now be able to bid into the £1.4 billion Regional Growth Fund to kick-start private sector-led growth, the Department for Work and Pensions is also to introduce the Work Programme which will provide an integrated package of support providing personalised help for people who find themselves out of work.
	The Government are also giving communities and neighbourhoods new rights, flexibilities, powers and tools that they could use to drive forward local regeneration and growth, for example through de-ringfencing of local budgets, and introducing incentives through the New Homes Bonus to direct more money to councils that build houses. The hon. Member should be aware that as outlined in the March 2010 Budget, the last Government were planning in-year cuts to the Working Neighbourhoods Fund.

EDUCATION

Business: Education

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans his Department has for the future of enterprise education in primary schools; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department currently has a contract with the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) to run the Enterprise Network to support the extension of enterprise education from a secondary school focus to the primary and FE sectors. The network is made up of Enterprise Learning Partnerships (ELPs), each chaired by a head teacher with representatives on the Board from two secondary schools, two primary schools, a special school, a further education college and an employer. There are currently 54 ELPs covering 99.6% of local authority areas in England. To date, 7,002 primary schools have been involved in the Enterprise Network activities. Lead practitioners for each sector of education, including primary, have been identified in each region to share their ideas for enterprise education with their peers.
	The contract with SSAT ends in March 2011. Beyond that date, we expect the ELPs to become self-sustaining without Government funding, ensuring a network of local and teacher-led groups to support enterprise education in schools, including primary schools.

Departmental Redundancy

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of redundancies arising from the spending reductions proposed in the comprehensive spending review in respect of  (a) his Department,  (b) its non-departmental public bodies and  (c) other public bodies which are dependent on his Department for funding.

Tim Loughton: Determining optimal work force reforms in order to live within the Department's spending review resource DEL settlement will be an ongoing process. Detailed decisions regarding the number of redundancies that may be required have yet to be finalised.

Free School Meals: Ealing

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in each ward in Ealing Southall constituency are eligible for free school meals; and whether he has made a recent estimate of the proportion of those children in each such ward who are claiming free meals.

Nick Gibb: The Department collects information on the number of pupils who meet the free school meals criteria and make a claim. Information is not available on the number of pupils who may be eligible but do not make a claim.
	The number of pupils known to be eligible and claiming for free school meals is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained nursery, maintained primary( 1) , state-funded secondary( 1, 2)  and special( 3)  schools: School meal arrangements( 4, 5) . As at January 2010-by each ward within Ealing Southall parliamentary constituency 
			  Ward name  Number on roll( 4, 5)  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals( 4, 5)  Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 Dormers Wells 2,224 721 32.4 
			 Elthorne 2,358 526 22.3 
			 Lady Margaret 943 211 22.4 
			 Northfield 1,498 78 5.2 
			 Norwood Green 1,674 501 29.9 
			 Southall Broadway 2,448 598 24.4 
			 Southall Green 2,105 690 32.8 
			 
			 Ealing Southall (all wards) 13,250 3,325 25.1 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) This term generally covers local authority maintained secondary schools, city technology colleges and academies, however there are no city technology colleges or academies in this constituency. (3) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (4) Includes sole and dual (main) registrations. (5) Pupils who have full-time attendance and are aged 15 and under, or pupils who have part time attendance and are aged between five and 15.  Source: School Census

Kristallnacht: Education

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  whether the study of Kristallnacht is included in the curriculum at secondary school level; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent representations he has received on the inclusion of Kristallnacht in the curriculum at secondary school level; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The teaching of the Holocaust is a compulsory part of the National Curriculum at secondary school level, but it is up to schools to determine whether the study of Kristallnacht should be included in this. As Kristallnacht was a key moment in the events leading up to the Holocaust, it is expected that most secondary schools would teach this.
	The Department has provided funds, with the Pears Foundation, for a national programme of courses to help teachers address the concerns and issues they encounter when teaching about the Holocaust. Kristallnacht features prominently in one of the training activities for this programme.
	The Secretary of State has not recently received any representations on the inclusion of Kristallnacht in the curriculum at secondary school level.
	The Government are committed to reviewing the National Curriculum to restore it to its original purpose-a core national entitlement organised around subject disciplines. We plan to consult a wide range of academics, teachers and other interested parties to ensure that our core curriculum can compare with those of the highest performing countries in the world. More details about our plans to review the curriculum will be announced later in the year. As part of the consultation process there will be a number of opportunities to contribute.

Pre-school Education: Special Educational Needs

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what measures are in place to identify pupils in pre-school education with special educational needs.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 9 November 2010
	 We believe it is vital that children who have special educational needs and disabilities, including pre-school children, are identified as early as possible if they are to make the most of their education experience. There are currently provisions in place that impose legal requirements to identify, assess and make provision for these pre-school needs, for example through the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice and the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework. We want to strengthen the system so that all children are ready to engage in learning when they start formal schooling. The Tickell review is considering how young children's early learning should best be supported and the forthcoming Green Paper on Special Educational Needs and Disability will consider how we can achieve better educational outcomes and life chances for children and young people with special educational needs from the early years through to transition to adult life and employment.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children who attended  (a) maintained primary schools,  (b) Catholic maintained primary schools,  (c) maintained secondary schools and  (d) Catholic maintained secondary schools lived in (i) the 10% most deprived super output areas (SOAs), (ii) the 20% most deprived SOAs, (iii) the 30% most deprived SOAs and (iv) the 10% least deprived SOAs as measured by the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index in the school year 2009-10.

Nick Gibb: The requested information is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of pupils resident in each IDACI decile attending maintained schools and maintained Catholic schools by phase of education-2010 
			   Primary( 1)  Secondary( 1, 2) 
			  IDACI(3) decile of pupil residence  All s chools  Catholic  s chools  All  s chools  Catholic s chools 
			 0-10 % most deprived 584,313 75,460 377,687 52,831 
			 10-20% 498,615 54,953 347,214 40,363 
			 20-30 % 435,191 46,009 329,527 35,685 
			 30-40 % 398,675 39,965 316,620 31,208 
			 40-50 % 379,238 35,948 314,931 27,761 
			 50-60 % 366,354 33,154 312,916 26,264 
			 60-70 % 356,050 28,988 313,310 23,746 
			 70-80 % 357,340 28,745 318,667 24,578 
			 80-90 % 356,608 29,775 319,923 25,228 
			 90-100 % least deprived 348,800 31,941 318,017 27,603 
			 (1) Maintained schools only, includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Secondary includes academies and city technology colleges. (3) Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index 2007.  Source: School Census 2010

Schools: Holocaust Memorial Day

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what arrangements his Department has made to mark Holocaust Memorial Day in schools in 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department funds the Holocaust Educational Trust's Lessons from Auschwitz project, which provides for two students (aged 16 to 18) from every school/sixth form college in England to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau. Many of the students who participate in the project will be marking Holocaust Memorial Day in their schools and local communities across the country.

Schools: Reading

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the effects on attainment levels in reading and mathematics among the lowest achieving six and seven year olds of the Every Child a Reader programme; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: We regularly evaluate the progress of the programme against a range of management information. Evidence shows that Every Child a Reader has had a positive impact in raising the attainment of pupils in the programme, as well as indications of a positive whole-school effect.
	All three Every Child programmes are currently undergoing robust independent evaluations, to report in late 2010 or early 2011, which will give a substantive view of the impact of the programmes.

Schools: Standards

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of educational standards in secondary schools in  (a) South Thanet constituency and  (b) England.

Nick Gibb: In 2009 (the most recent year for which constituency level data are available) 52.4% of pupils in maintained schools in South Thanet achieved five or more GCSEs at grade A*-C or equivalent including English and maths, compared to 50.9% in England.
	We remain concerned that almost half of young people are leaving compulsory education without meeting this standard. That is why we are reforming the school system to give schools more freedom and introducing the pupil premium to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Schools: Standards

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of educational standards in primary schools in  (a) South Thanet constituency and  (b) England.

Nick Gibb: In 2009, the most recent year for which constituency level data are available, 62% of pupils in maintained schools in South Thanet achieved Level 4 or above in English and maths combined at Key Stage 2, compared to 72% in England.
	We want all children, whatever their background, to achieve high standards in reading, writing and mathematics. That is why we are introducing a pupil premium which will provide extra funding for those schools with the most challenging intakes.

Special Educational Needs: Children in Care

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to reduce the incidence of special educational needs among looked-after children.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 9 November 2010
	 Just over half (52%) of looked after children have special educational needs (SEN). We are publishing a Green Paper which will set out how we will improve identification of and support for all children with SEN, including looked after children with SEN. All looked after children are required to have a care plan which is drawn up and reviewed by the local authority which looks after them. This overall plan must include a plan describing how the child's educational needs will be met and whether s/he has a statement.

Special Educational Needs: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teachers in Lancashire have a mandatory qualification in teaching deaf children; and what recent estimate he has made of the number of children in Lancashire who are deaf.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 15 November 2010
	We do not routinely collect data regarding the number of British sign language qualified teachers teaching deaf children in mainstream schools either nationally or by region. Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that teachers of hearing impaired and deaf children possess the appropriate mandatory qualification to undertake the role. It is a matter for local authorities to ensure that they have enough qualified teachers to meet their statutory commitments.
	Regarding the estimate of the number of children in Lancashire who are deaf, these figures are available from the Statistical First Release 'Special Educational Needs in England: January 2010'. This shows that there were 426 pupils in Lancashire at School Action Plus or with statements that had hearing impairment as a primary need and were being educated within the maintained sector or at special schools as at January 2010.
	At the end of the year the Government plan to publish a Green Paper on special educational needs and disabilities, which will explore how we can improve support for all children with special educational needs and disabilities, including those who are deaf or hearing impaired.
	It is a priority to improve the educational outcomes for all children and we recognise the important role specialists, such as Teachers of the Deaf, play in meeting this goal.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will bring forward legislative proposals to incorporate the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into his Ministerial responsibilities.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 4 November 2010
	The Government are committed to the implementation of the United Nations convention on the rights of the child (UNCRC) and take their obligations to the convention seriously.
	In March 2010, the previous Administration published an analysis setting out how legislation, policy and practice comply with the UNCRC. That analysis is being reviewed in order to assess how broader changes in legislation and policy align with the UNCRC and will decide if any further action is needed to give further effect to the convention.

World War II: Education

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department has taken steps to promote  (a) knowledge of and  (b) interest in the 70(th) anniversary of the battle of Britain in schools; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The battle of Britain was a significant event in the second world war; and the second world war is a compulsory subject in the secondary school curriculum. Schools determine whether to include the battle of Britain as part of their studies, and the Government believe that schools should be free to decide how best to mark the 70(th) anniversary of the battle of Britain.

Youth Services: Manpower

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many full-time equivalent youth support workers there are in each local authority area.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education does not collect these data. However, the Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) published an audit of the workforce in December 2009 and this includes some national level estimates of the numbers of youth and community workers. The report is available on CWDC's website at:
	http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/young-peoples-workforce/state-of-the-young-peoples-workforce-report

WORK AND PENSIONS

Atos Healthcare

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what services Atos is providing under contract to his Department; and whether he plans to renew his Department's contract with Atos in 2012.

Chris Grayling: The information is as follows.
	 Medical Services
	Following a competitive tender exercise the medical services agreement between Atos Healthcare and the Department for Work and Pensions was awarded on 15 March 2005 by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. The contract went live on 1 September 2005, for a period of seven years, with options to extend for a further three and two years. On 1 November 2010 I awarded a contract extension to 31 August 2015 to facilitate the delivery of incapacity benefit reassessment. The new disability living allowance assessment service from 2013, is not included in the extension contractual arrangements but will be awarded through a competitive tendering process.
	The scope of the medical services agreement is to provide medical advice to Department for Work and Pensions; Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs; Service Personnel and Veterans Agency; and Tribunals Service to support decisions in relation to a number of benefits and pensions, including but not limited to:
	Incapacity benefits
	Employment and support allowance
	Industrial injuries disablement benefits
	Disability living allowance (to be competed in 2013)
	Attendance allowance
	Statutory sick pay/statutory maternity pay
	Child trust fund
	War pension
	Vaccine Damage Payment scheme
	Financial Assistance scheme
	Compensation Recovery scheme
	Appeals tribunal service
	 Occupational Health
	Following a competitive tender exercise the occupational health framework agreement between Atos Healthcare and the Department for Work and Pensions was awarded on 30 May 2008 by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
	The framework agreement went live on 3 August 2008 and was for a period of three years, with an option to extend for a further two years. The Department for Work and Pensions is currently considering the option to extend.
	The scope of the occupational health framework ensures the Department has access to professional occupational health guidance, enabling obligations under the Equality Act 2010 (especially in respect of disabled workers) to be fulfilled and also to prevent or resolve instances of sickness absence. Such guidance will normally be about the applicability of the Equality Act; the effect of illness on an employee's functional capability; and measures that can be taken to reduce the effects of illness on functional capability or to rehabilitate an employee from sick leave to work. Services available via the agreement include but are not limited to:
	Attendance management support
	Pre-employment health screening
	Audiology screening
	Absence related case conferences
	Atos also provides IT services to the Department under the Stand Alone Support Services (SASA) Contract. That covers the provision of development, support, enhancement and consultancy services for mostly small scale DWP IT applications.

Children: Maintenance

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the average difference between the amounts paid by clients of the Child Support Agency on the  (a) pre-2002 and  (b) post-2002 scheme.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the average difference between in amounts paid by clients of the Child Support Agency on the (a) pre-2002 and (b) post-2002 scheme.
	The table shows average collections on cases administered under old scheme rules compared to average collections on cases administered under current scheme rules for each quarter.
	Average collections have been calculated by dividing the total amount of maintenance collected and arranged under each scheme by the number of cases paying maintenance as at the end of each quarter.
	Total collections and caseload figures include cases administered on the CS2 and CSCS computer systems as well as cases administered off system. However, the value of maintenance direct payments within the collections figure only include off system cases from April 2008.
	Average collections and arrangements will be directly impacted by the average assessment value. The average assessment of Old Scheme cases is significantly lower than Current Scheme cases due to differences in policy between the schemes. The majority of cases in receipt of benefit on the Old Scheme are nil-assessed, whereas cases in receipt of benefit on the Current Scheme are given a weekly assessment of £5.00. 29% of cases on the Current Scheme have an assessment between £0.01 and £5.00, which significantly reduces the average assessment value.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Table 1: Average monthly collections and arrangements by scheme 
			  £ 
			  Month  Average monthly collections/arrangements old scheme  Average monthly collections/arrangements current scheme  Difference 
			 December 2006 179 125 54 
			 March 2007 184 129 55 
			 June 2007 181 128 53 
			 September 2007 186 135 51 
			 December 2007 186 142 44 
			 March 2008 192 142 50 
			 June 2008 194 137 56 
			 September 2008 199 142 57 
			 December 2008 197 142 54 
			 March 2009 200 138 62 
			 June 2009 194 136 57 
			 September 2009 195 137 59 
			 December 2009 196 136 60 
			 March 2010 184 135 48 
			 June 2010 180 133 47 
			  Notes: 1. Figures rounded to the nearest £1. 2. Figures include value of maintenance collected as well as value of maintenance direct arrangements.

Children: Maintenance

Jessica Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in how many assessed cases currently being dealt with by the Child Support Agency child maintenance liability is abated to take account of shared care arrangements; and what proportion of these cases are abated by  (a) one seventh,  (b) two sevenths,  (c) three sevenths and  (d) one half.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in how many assessed cases currently being dealt with by the Child Support Agency child maintenance liability is abated to take account of shared care arrangements; and what proportion of these cases are abated by (a) one seventh (b) two sevenths (c) three sevenths and (d) one half.
	Information is not available on the value that maintenance assessments have been abated by when taking into account shared care arrangements.
	Information is available on the number of nights each qualifying child on cases administered on the CSCS computer system spends with the parent with care. Information is also available on the number of current scheme cases administered on the CS2 computer system with a shared care arrangement in place. However, no robust information is available for old scheme cases administered on the CS2 computer system or for cases administered off system.
	A shared care arrangement is defined for current scheme cases as those cases where the qualifying child or children spends at least 52 nights per year with the non-resident parent. As at September 2010 there were 145,500 such cases, which is 22% of the assessed caseload.
	The table shows the number of cases administered on the CSCS computer system with a shared care arrangement in place. They are shown split by the number of nights spent with the parent with care for the qualifying child that spends the least nights with that parent.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Table 1: CSCS cases with a shared care arrangement: September 2010 
			  Nights spent with parent with care per week  Number of assessed cases 
			 2 100 
			 3 1,200 
			 4 6,400 
			 5 14,600 
			  Notes: 1. Figures rounded to nearest 100. 2. A case where the child spends one night per week with the parent with care is recorded on the CSCS computer system as 0 nights. Likewise, cases where the child spends six nights per week with the parent with care are recorded on the CSCS computer system as seven nights. These categories can therefore not be separated and are therefore not shown. 3. Management information on cases administered on the CSCS computer system records the number of nights each individual child spends with the parent with care. It is possible that the number of nights is different for children within the same case. Therefore, in the attached response, the child which spends the least number of nights with the parent with care has been used in the table.

Cold Weather Payments

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he made an estimate of the number of people with cancer who received the cold weather payment in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.
	Cold weather payments are paid automatically to people receiving pension credit and to those receiving certain income related benefits who are disabled, have a disabled child or a child under age five.

Departmental Contracts

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of quality management statements in assisting with contract decisions by his Department; and what assessment he has made of the effects of such statements on the prospects for small businesses winning contracts.

Chris Grayling: DWP, as part of its selection criteria, will assess a bidder's technical or professional ability, including quality management. As part of the tender evaluation process, procurement staff must include, within the published evaluation criteria, details of any weighting system used and how the tender will be scored with reference to quality management.
	Bidders are required to describe what quality management measures they operate relevant to the bid specification. Where specific quality standards are required to meet technical contract requirements, bidders are permitted to provide evidence of equivalent or comparable processes or systems.
	Evaluation criteria will clearly state the scoring attached to quality management and the minimum acceptable standard required to deliver the contract. Provided a bidder can demonstrate their capability to deliver a contract, there are no barriers that impact on the likely success of small businesses winning contracts.
	Commercial activities in DWP are determined by EU procurement rules. One of the primary objectives of the European Union is the prevention of discrimination and restriction on the movement of goods or services. Any specification, even those not subject to the EU rules, must ensure that they comply with this objective. A member state or contracting authority, such as DWP, cannot adopt measures that are, even potentially, restrictive.
	Sustainable procurement considerations ensure that opportunities for small businesses to bid for DWP contracts are maximised. Use of electronic procurement, division of requirements into local/regional lots and supplier briefings all help to improve access.

Departmental Grants

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what grants have been awarded by his Department in 2010-11 to date; what grants he plans to award in each of the next two years; what the monetary value is of each such grant fund; and to which organisations such grants have been made;
	(2)  what the monetary value was of grants awarded by his Department in 2009-10; and how much he expects to award in grants in  (a) 2010-11 and  (b) 2011-12.

Chris Grayling: Grants made by the Department for Work and Pensions in 2009-10 and 2010-2011 are shown in the table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Description of grant  Paid to  2009-10  2010-11( 1)  2010-11( 2) 
			 Grants to support expenditure on Financial Inclusion Credit Unions and Community Development Financial Institutions 18.0 4.6 7.9 
			 Factory Support Grant A range of businesses to support the employment of disabled people 0.5 - 0.2 
			 Future Jobs Fund Employers to create new jobs 82.5 274.9 420.0 
			 Access to Work Employers for adaptations to premises and equipment 1.1 0.8 1.7 
			 Deprived Areas Fund City Strategy Pathfinders and other partnership organisations 7.7 5.5 9.7 
			 Ageing Well Grant Local Government Improvement and Development (LGID) 0.5 0.7 1.7 
			 Active at 60 Individuals, via the Community Development Foundation - - 1.0 
			 Get Digital Project The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education via the Department for Communities and Local Government 1.0 1.9 1.9 
			 Sure Start Maternity Grants (SSMG) Individuals 138.8 82.7 142.0 
			 Community Care Grants (CCG) Individuals 140.7 83.2 142.0 
			 (1) To 31 October (2) Full year forecast  Notes: 1. Factory Support Grant was a small scale aspect of Workstep intended to help improve specialist disability employment services by providing funding for supported businesses to, for example, buy new machinery or modernise the services they offer. 2. Current year figures are based on actual spend, as shown in the departmental general ledger, and forecasts which are subject to change. 3. For the purposes of this answer, grants are interpreted to be one-off payments to individuals or other entities to support the objectives of the Department. Payments which are on-going in nature, for example subsidies to local authorities for housing benefit administration, or grants in aid to non-departmental public bodies have not been included. 4. Funding for the Factory Support Grant, the Future Jobs Fund, and the Deprived Areas Fund have either already ended or will end this financial year. 5. The Department is now working through the financial implications of its spending review settlement and details are not available on future funding amounts for particular grants at present.

Departmental Regulation

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what regulations sponsored by his Department have been revoked in the last six months.

Chris Grayling: The Employment and Support Allowance (Transitional Provisions, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit) (Existing Awards) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/ 875) were revoked by the Employment and Support Allowance (Transitional Provisions, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit) (Existing Awards) (Revocation) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/1906)
	The following regulations were revoked by the Equality Act 2010 (Disability) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2128):
	The Disability Discrimination (Meaning of Disability) Regulations 1996 (S.I. 1996/1455)
	The Disability Discrimination (Providers of Services) (Adjustment of Premises) Regulations 2001 (S.I. 2001/3253)
	The Disability Discrimination (Blind and Partially Sighted Persons) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/712)
	The Disability Discrimination (Employment Field) (Leasehold Premises) Regulations 2004 (S.I. 2004/153)
	The Disability Discrimination (Educational Institutions) (Alteration of Leasehold Premises) Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/1070)
	The Disability Discrimination (Service Providers and Public Authorities Carrying Out Functions) Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/2901)
	The Disability Discrimination (Private Clubs etc) Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/3258)
	The Disability Discrimination (Premises) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/887).
	The Vaccine Damage Payment (Specified Disease) Order 2009 (S.I. 2009/2516) was revoked by the Vaccine Damage Payments (Specified Disease) (Revocation and Savings) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/1988).
	The Transfer of State Pensions and Benefits Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007 (SR (NI) 2007/286) were revoked by the Transfer of State Pensions and Benefits (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/1825).

Disability Living Allowance: Care Homes

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of children likely to be affected by the implementation of the proposed withdrawal of the mobility component of disability living allowance from claimants living in residential care.

Maria Miller: The spending review announced that the mobility component of disability living allowance would be removed from adults in residential care and children in residential schools.
	Proposals for disability living allowance reform will be informed by responses to the consultation document which we will publish shortly.
	We will be making clearer as we move towards the Bill exactly how the measure to cease paying mobility component of DLA to people in care homes will affect particular groups.

Employment Schemes

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many companies have expressed an interest in applying for contracts under the Work Programme.

Chris Grayling: 102 organisations, SPV or consortia submitted bids in respect of the DWP Framework for the Provision of Employment Related Support Services. A list of organisations that submitted bids can be found on the Supplying DWP website
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/supplying-dwp/
	Those organisations that were accepted onto the framework were notified on 25 November and a list has also been published on the Supplying DWP website. Only those organisations that have been successful in being admitted to the framework as prime contractors will be invited to tender for Work Programme contracts. Organisations will only be able to bid in lots where they have been successful in the framework competition.

Employment Schemes

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what  (a) assumptions and  (b) calculations his Department made when formulating its estimate of the market value of Work Programme contracts contained in the framework agreement for the provision of employment-related support services.

Chris Grayling: Assumptions and calculations on the estimated value of Work Programme contracts and indeed other contracts which will be let from the framework, were developed from information on the value of existing welfare to work programmes. These took into account the intention to radically simplify the array of existing employment programmes and deliver coherent, integrated support more capable of dealing with complex and overlapping barriers to work. Estimates were broad in order to provide transparency to the market and to ensure that the framework would be able to meet requirements to be the principal vehicle for sourcing all employment related support services for the full life of the framework, not just for DWP, but also for other eligible contracting authorities. Calculations also took into account the need to deliver greater value for money on future welfare to work contracts.

Employment Schemes

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to place any restrictions on sub-contracting within the procurement processes for the Work Programme.

Chris Grayling: There are no plans to place any restrictions on sub-contracting within the procurement processes for the Work Programme. Evaluation of bids will, at least in part, depend on the quality of their supply chain.

Employment Schemes

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the geographical areas are for contracting for each type of back-to-work provision; and what geographical areas there will be for contracts under the Work Programme.

Chris Grayling: The DWP Framework for the Provision of Employment Related Support Services will be divided into 11 geographical lots. The lots are: South East, South West, London, East of England, East Midlands, West Midlands, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, North East, Scotland, Wales. Contracts let under the framework may be across all lots, cover a specific lot or a smaller geographical area(s) within a lot.

Employment Schemes: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the proposed universal credit on work incentives in Scotland.

Chris Grayling: Universal credit will make work pay. It will enable workers to retain more of their earnings when they enter work, providing stronger financial incentives to take job opportunities than under the current system.
	Establishing a single withdrawal rate and eliminating the hours rules currently present in working tax credit has the potential to create a much more flexible labour market, where workers will be able to work the number of hours that most suits their needs and those of their employer.
	The integration of in and out of work support through universal credit will also greatly reduce the risks people perceive around the continuity of financial support as they move into and leave work.
	We expect the impacts in Scotland to be broadly the same as for Great Britain as a whole.

Housing Benefit

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the contribution by the Minister of State for Work and Pensions, the hon. Member for Thornbury and Yate (Steve Webb) of 9 November 2010,  Official Report, column 154, on housing benefit, what the evidential basis was for his assessment of the change in private rents since November 2008.

Steve Webb: The source of the private rental data was the Find A Property index. This has been used by the DWP and wider Government since 2008, when CLG stopped producing their own private rental index. The Office for National Statistics does not publish up-to-date private rental data.
	Further details of the evidential base are available at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/wpsc-analytical-supp.pdf

Housing Benefit

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the likely effects on levels of housing benefit payments of the implementation of his Department's decision to merge high rental and low rental areas; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: We will be considering the areas in which local housing allowance rates are set in the context of our proposal to uprate local housing allowance rates according to the consumer price index from April 2013. We have not as yet made any decisions on the constitution of these areas.

Housing Benefit

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the proposed changes to local housing allowance will apply to people who are part way through a tenancy which was signed prior to the changes coming into effect.

Steve Webb: Changes to local housing allowance rates apply to customers at the anniversary of their claim. The anniversary may coincide with the date they are due to renew a tenancy or it could fall part way through the tenancy. For existing customers who will be affected by changes to local housing allowance rates from April 2011, we are allowing an additional period of up to nine months from the anniversary of their claim during which they will be protected from a reduction in their local housing allowance rate. This will allow them extra time to renegotiate their rental commitment or, if necessary, look for alternative accommodation.

Housing Benefit

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to issue further guidance to local authorities on the allocation of discretionary housing benefit.

Steve Webb: We are reviewing our discretionary housing payment good practice guidance to local authorities and plan to issue a revised version early next year.

Housing Benefit

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to make exceptions to the proposed limits on payments of local housing allowance to claimants under 35 years to a shared room rate in respect of those with  (a) learning difficulties and  (b) mental health disorders.

Steve Webb: The shared room rate already has exemptions which will continue to apply for people in vulnerable situations. The exemptions include local authority and housing association tenants and those in certain supported accommodation.
	Customers who receive the middle or higher rate care component of disability living allowance, and where no one gets a carer's allowance for them, are also exempt. We are currently considering the detailed design of this proposal, which is not due to be implemented until April 2012.

Housing Benefit: Newham

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many working families in Newham are in receipt of housing benefit.

Steve Webb: The following table shows the number of housing benefit recipients in Newham which are non passported and in employment, August 2010.
	
		
			  Housing benefit recipients by family type and employment status in Newham, August 2010 
			   HB non passported  Of which: In employment 
			 Single no child dependants 4,550 1,690 
			 Single with child dependants 3,370 2,690 
			 Couple no child dependants 800 410 
			 Couple with child dependants 4,160 3,940 
			 Total 12,880 8,730 
			  Notes: 1. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 2. Housing benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases. An extended payment is a payment that may be received for a further four weeks when they start working full-time, work more hours or earn more money. 3. Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE) is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems. It replaces quarterly aggregate clerical returns. The data are available monthly from November 2008 and August 2010 is the latest available. 4. People claiming housing benefit not in receipt of a passported benefit are recorded as being in employment if their local authority has recorded employment income from either the main claimant, or partner of claimant (if applicable), in calculating the housing benefit award. 5. Passported status does not include recipients with unknown passported status.  Source: August 2010 Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE)

Housing Benefit: North East

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the likely effect on  (a) the economy of the North East and  (b) housing provision of planned reductions in the level of housing benefit and council tax benefit payments.

Steve Webb: Work is under way to ascertain the impacts of the proposed measures and we will publish an economic impact assessment at the time amendments to legislation are laid in Parliament.

Housing Benefit: Worcestershire

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in  (a) Worcestershire and  (b) Worcester were in receipt of housing benefit of more than £400 per week in the latest period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: At July 2010, for housing benefit claims in the private rented sector our records show that there are no households in Worcestershire receiving over £400 per week.
	 Source:
	Single Housing Benefit Extract for July 2010.

Industrial Accidents: Construction

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans the Government have to implement the recommendations of the Rita Donaghy report entitled One Death is too Many: inquiry into the Underlying Causes of Construction Fatal Accidents.

Chris Grayling: The Government are committed to addressing the heavy toll of deaths in the construction industry which was highlighted in Baroness Donaghy's report. We will therefore progress those of the Donaghy recommendations accepted by the previous Administration which we consider are supported by the available evidence. For example, consistent with recommendation eight of the Donaghy report, the Government have actively supported the new specification for "pre-qualification" criteria in the construction industry, introduced by the British Standards Institution in October and which has the potential to radically simplify the pre-qualification process for small firms tendering for construction work. Where, however, we lack firm evidence for particular recommendations-for example, that directors' health and safety duties need to be further strengthened-we do not propose to take further action at this time.

Industrial Health and Safety: Inspections

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received on the work of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE); and how many sites were formally inspected by a HSE inspector after a serious accident in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The Secretary of State has the principal responsibility to Parliament for the Health and Safety Executive and routinely receives representations on their work. Recent representations are concerned with a range of matters relating to the formulation and development of Government policy.
	HSE's inspectors have investigated 2,021 serious accidents that occurred between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2010, although some of these investigations are still under way.
	These serious accidents are categorised as fatalities and major injuries, such as amputations and fractures, that were reported under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR 95).

Jobcentre Plus: Rural Areas

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assistance his Department plans to give to those living in remote rural areas to  (a) access jobcentres to see what vacancies are available and  (b) access the labour market in areas with poor local transport.

Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Darra Singh:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about what assistance his Department plans to give to those living in remote rural areas to (a) access jobcentres to see what vacancies are available and (b) access the labour market in areas with poor local transport. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus is committed to providing all customers, including those in rural areas, with the help they need to find work as quickly as possible. We do this through a combination of the largest network of offices within Government, which is used primarily to provide face-to-face advice and guidance at the outset of the claim and at key stages thereafter; and alternative means of service delivery such as telephony and the Internet.
	In terms of plans to help those in remote areas access vacancies, everyone receives information, advice and guidance at the new claims interview about how to make best use of appropriate vacancy sources. As part of this, people receive information about the Directgov Internet Job Bank and Jobseeker Direct (the Jobcentre Plus telephony-based vacancy matching service), both of which provide remote, fast and easy access to thousands of jobs. As a further development, we have also launched a new application for the iPhone and Google Android systems, which offers people an innovative way to search for a job through their telephone handset.
	Looking ahead and in transforming our labour market services still further, we aim to provide a much improved, more efficient automated service to help employers post and fill vacancies and jobseekers access available jobs. As part of this, the intention is to extend the current job search facility to include vacancies from employer websites and other job boards; and to create secure customer profiles, which will be used to automatically notify employers of suitable applicants and individuals of suitable jobs.
	In terms of helping people access the labour market in areas with poor local transport, Jobcentre Plus advisers will offer information, advice and guidance to claimants and provide access to measures such as the Travel to Interview Scheme to help with the cost of attending interviews. We also administer the Adviser Discretion Fund, which is used to help customers overcome small challenges preventing them from taking-up the offer of employment. In appropriate circumstances, the Fund can help with travel to work costs until receipt of first wages. All awards are at adviser discretion, taking into account individual customer circumstances and all awards must represent good value for taxpayer's money.
	Following the coalition Government's announcement of a new, integrated work programme coupled with a more flexible Jobcentre Plus delivery model, we aim to build upon the discretionary funding currently available to give local managers the ability to tailor services to local and individual need. This could include the provision of more help to overcome travel costs and difficulties in appropriate locations.
	Over and above the schemes administered directly by Jobcentre Plus, there are a number of agreements in place (nationally and locally) to provide people with discounted travel, for example, in England and Wales, we have an agreement with the Association of Train Operating Companies, which offers a 50% discount on rail travel for longer-term unemployed people. A similar scheme is in place with Scot Rail and while there is no UK wide discount scheme for bus travel, many local operators do offer discounted services to unemployed people.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Fraud

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were prosecuted for offences relating to fraudulent claims for jobseeker's allowance in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency in each of the last three years.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available.
	Information on the numbers of people prosecuted for benefit fraud in Scotland for the last three years for all DWP administered benefits is available in the following table.
	
		
			   Number prosecuted for benefit fraud in Scotland 
			 2007-08 168 
			 2008-09 139 
			 2009-10 489 
			  Notes: Information extracted from the Fraud Referral and Intelligence Management Information System.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Hearing Impaired

Mary Macleod: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what provisions are in place at Jobcentre Plus centres to assist jobseekers with hearing impairments; and whether interpreters are provided at each such location.

Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide my hon. Friend with the information requested.
	 Letter from Darra Singh:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what provisions are in place at Jobcentre Plus centres to assist jobseekers with hearing impairments and whether interpreters are provided at each such location. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	In Jobcentre Plus we recognise the diverse range of customers we serve and we are fully committed to providing equal accessibility and availability of services to all customers. Customers arriving in a Jobcentre are met by a Customer Services Manager who identifies the reason for their visit and who is able to direct them appropriately.
	When a deaf or hard of hearing customer arrives at an office the Customer Services Manager takes the customer to the Customer Service Support Leader who will communicate with them at a desk set up with a hearing loop facility, if this is appropriate.
	If the customer is profoundly deaf or cannot use a hearing aid, a member of staff who is British Sign Language (BSL) qualified will act as interpreter. If no qualified member of staff is available, we will arrange for a communicator, for example a BSL interpreter, lip speaker or deaf/blind interpreter as appropriate, to attend the office and book an appointment for the customer to return then.
	If customers wish, they may bring their own interpreters. If a customer provides their own professional qualified interpreter, they can be reimbursed with reasonable travel costs. Customers often choose to bring friends and relatives to interpret.
	If the customer attends the Jobcentre to look for work, touch screen Jobpoints are available in our offices to search for and access vacancies. Staff will support the customer in progressing any applications for work, for example, by making contact with the employer.
	For customers with an appointment requiring an interpreter we currently have three contracted providers that provide BSL interpreters nationally.
	Jobcentre Plus is committed to providing a first class service and ensuring we fully support our most vulnerable customers.
	I hope this information is helpful.

Mobility Allowance: Children

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  whether the removal of mobility allowance for disabled children after 84 days in residential care will also apply to children in residential education settings;
	(2)  whether residential schools for disabled children will be classified as care homes for the purposes of the proposed changes to the mobility element of disability living allowance.

Maria Miller: The spending review announced that the mobility component of disability living allowance would be removed from adults in residential care and children in residential schools.
	Proposals for disability living allowance reform will be informed by responses to the consultation document which we will publish shortly.
	We will be making clearer as we move towards the Bill exactly how the measure to cease paying mobility component of DLA to people in care homes will affect particular groups.

Mortgage Payments

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department plans to provide support to households with disabled residents who can no longer afford their mortgage payments as a result of changes to the rate of support for mortgage interest to fund alternative accommodation.

Steve Webb: We have no plans to increase the amount paid by way of support for mortgage interest, or to change the current standard interest rate for this group.
	It was necessary for the Government to put support for mortgage interest on a more sustainable footing, and to better reflect mortgage costs, which is why we set the standard interest rate at a level equal to the Bank of England's published monthly average mortgage rate from 1 October. The rate is currently 3.63%. The previous rate of 6.08% was too generous and resulted in the vast majority of people getting more than their eligible mortgage interest liability, which was unfair to taxpayers. The plans of the previous Government would have meant that the standard interest rate would have reverted to a formula-the Bank of England base rate plus 1.58%-which, at present, would produce a rate of 2.08% from January 2011.
	There are other funding streams available to households with disabled residents, for example, Disabled Facilities Grants and the Mortgage Rescue Scheme.
	Disabled Facilities Grants are provided by local authorities to help meet the cost of adapting a property for the needs of a disabled person. The Mortgage Rescue Scheme was introduced in 2009 to help people in priority need, including those who are vulnerable because of old age or a physical/mental impairment. The scheme involves a Housing Association taking on full or part ownership of the property being repossessed.

Poverty: Children

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children in  (a) England,  (b) the East of England and  (c) Bedford constituency were living in families with no parents in employment in October each year from 2000 to 2010.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated November 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking how many children in a) England b) East of England and c) Bedford Constituency were living in families with no parents in employment in October each year from 2000 to 2010. (26539)
	The figures requested come from the Annual Population Survey (APS) household datasets. These are currently available for 2004 to 2009. The attached table shows estimates for England and East of England for these years.
	It is not possible to provide reliable estimates for Bedford constituency because of small sample sizes.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. This is captured in a confidence interval, defined by lower and upper bounds, such that the interval formed between the bounds would contain the true value of 95% of all possible samples.
	
		
			  Table: Children( 1)  living in families with no parent in employment in England and East of England 
			  Thousand 
			   January to December  Estimate  Lower bound( 2)  Upper bound( 2) 
			 England 2004 1,639 1,591 1,687 
			  2005 1,630 1,582 1,678 
			  2006 1,645 1,596 1,693 
			  2007 1,613 1,564 1,662 
			  2008 1,670 1,620 1,721 
			  2009 1,707 1,655 1,759 
			  
			 East of England 2004 126 111 141 
			  2005 124 109 140 
			  2006 128 112 144 
			  2007 130 114 147 
			  2008 141 123 158 
			  2009 133 115 150 
			 (1 )Children refers to children under 16. (2) 95% confidence interval which means that from all samples possible there would be 95% certainty that the true estimate would lie within the lower and upper bounds. Source: APS household dataset

Private Finance Initiative Scheme

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of his Department's properties that are managed under a private finance initiative scheme are empty.

Chris Grayling: DWP does not have any empty properties managed under a private finance initiative.

Social Rented Housing: Reform

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the implications for the social rented housing market of his Department's welfare reforms.

Steve Webb: A number of discussions have been held between the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Communities and Local Government at both ministerial and official level. These discussions will continue as we develop our plans.

Social Security Benefits

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the level of civil service staffing resources which were allocated to the preparation of the White Paper on universal credit.

Chris Grayling: A number of civil servants in DWP and other Departments were involved in preparing the White Paper over a three-month period. The main work was done by members of the universal credit policy team in DWP which has a total of 20 staff.

Social Security Benefits

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what  (a) assumptions and  (b) calculations his Department made when modelling the likely effects of the implementation of the universal credit; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each briefing document on these calculations provided to (i) Ministers and (ii) external bodies.

Chris Grayling: Chapter 7 of the recent White Paper, 'Universal Credit: Welfare That Works', and the accompanying impact assessment set out the assumptions and calculations used to model the effects of universal credit. The briefing documents provided to Ministers that covered these calculations are restricted policy development documents. The Department's Ministers and officials have had numerous discussions over recent months with external bodies on the Government's proposals for benefit reform.

Social Security Benefits

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much funding he plans to allocate to the implementation of the universal credit in 2011-12.

Chris Grayling: The Treasury has allocated £2 billion investment funding to the Department of Work and Pensions for universal credit over the spending review period. Plans on the allocation of funding are in development.

Social Security Benefits

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what timetable he has put in place for the introduction of the universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: Introducing universal credit will be a very substantial exercise with around 19 million individual existing awards of benefits and tax credits becoming part of the new benefit. The provisional timetable is as follows, subject to detailed design work done in partnership with HMRC and local authorities. The current intention is to manage transition to universal credit in three stages:
	October 2013 to April 2014: all new claims for out of work support will be treated as claims to universal credit. No new jobseekers allowance, employment and support allowance, income support and housing benefit claims will be accepted. Customers transitioning from out of work benefits into work will move onto universal credit if they are eligible.
	April 2014: no new claims will be made to tax credits.
	April 2014 to October 2017: we would begin to work through transferring existing case to the new benefit.

Social Security Benefits: Adoption

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department provides financial support for adoptive parents who are classified as casual employees.

Maria Miller: Statutory adoption pay enables adopters to take a period of leave from work when a new child joins the family. It is paid by employers to employees who satisfy qualifying conditions based on length of employment and a minimum level of earnings. Casual employees may receive statutory adoption pay if they can satisfy the qualifying conditions.
	Income support is available in certain circumstances. Single people who have a child placed with them prior to an adoption have access to income support. Once the adoption has taken place an adoptive parent can continue to receive income support if they fall within another prescribed group, for example if they are a lone parent or a carer. A parent may also be entitled to income support if they are taking leave from their employment under the parental leave provisions.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 10 November 2010,  Official Report, column 350W, on social security benefits: fraud, what the  (a) monetary value was of the suspected fraud in the 550 warrant cases,  (b) average monetary value per case was of suspected fraud and  (c) monetary value was of the suspected fraud in each of the 10 cases where that value is highest; and what the dates of issue were of the 10 longest standing arrest warrants.

Chris Grayling: Of the 550 warrants held by the Department on 14 October 2010, information was held centrally on 188 cases. This number has now been reduced to 156 following the execution of 32 warrants. Information on the remaining 362 warrants not held centrally can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	 (a) The total monetary value of fraud in the 156 cases is £1,273,314.26.
	 (b) The average monetary value of fraud in the 156 cases is £8,162.27
	 (c) The monetary value in each of the 10 cases where that value is highest is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  10  highest value warrant cases 
			   £ 
			 1. 58,550.01 
			 2. 55,494.13 
			 3. 54,864.22 
			 4. 53,319.36 
			 5. 46,406.20 
			 6. 39,906.59 
			 7. 37,465.39 
			 8. 33,735.64 
			 9. 32,121.02 
			 10. 28,253.76 
			 Total 440,116.32 
			  Source: FRAIMS 
		
	
	Information on the dates of issue of the 10 longest standing arrest warrants is not available centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 10 November 2010,  Official Report, column 350W, on social security benefits: fraud, what benefits were involved in the suspected frauds; how many cases involved each type of benefit; and how many cases involved suspected acts of fraud relating to more than one type of benefit.

Chris Grayling: Information on the following is held but would incur disproportionate cost to collate:
	(a) what benefits were involved in the suspected frauds,
	(b) how many cases involved each type of benefit, and
	(c) how many cases involved suspected acts of fraud relating to more than one type of benefit..

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 10 November 2010,  Official Report, column 350W, on social security benefits: fraud, how many of the defendants have convictions or police cautions for other offences.

Chris Grayling: The information on how many of the defendants have convictions or police cautions for other offences is held but can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 10 November 2010,  Official Report, column 350W, on social security benefits: fraud, what were the  (a) names of the persons issued with arrest warrants,  (b) their last known addresses or whereabouts and  (c) the monetary value of the suspected fraud in each case.

Chris Grayling: The Data Protection Act 1998 and Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights provide no legal gateway to release information containing:
	(a) names of the persons issued with arrest warrants
	(b) their last known addresses or whereabouts.
	Of the 550 warrants held by the Department on 14 October 2010, information is held centrally on 188 cases. Information on the remaining 362 cases is not held centrally, warrants having been issued prior to roll out of an IT case management system in November 2009.
	The monetary value of the 362 cases is held but can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Of the 188 arrest warrants mentioned above, 32 have been executed since 14 October 2010, reducing the number to156, on which information is held centrally.
	(c)The monetary value of the 156 cases can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  Number and monetary value of 156 warrant cases 
			  Number  Amount of overpaid benefit  (£) 
			 1-13 0 
			 14 77.95 
			 15 259.28 
			 16 328.29 
			 17 409.50 
			 18 429.66 
			 19 517.07 
			 20 587.88 
			 21 776.81 
			 22 841.44 
			 23 854.62 
			 24 862.30 
			 25 866.00 
			 26 890.40 
			 27 936.44 
			 28 939.12 
			 29 1,066.65 
			 30 1,148.21 
			 31 1,253.76 
			 32 1,417.60 
			 33 1,483.54 
			 34 1,548.10 
			 35 1,617.01 
			 36 1,711.84 
			 37 1,817.75 
			 38 1,831.06 
			 39 1,847.75 
			 40 1,968.29 
			 41 2,005.51 
			 42 2,028.74 
			 43 2,110.33 
			 44 2,124.84 
			 45 2,158.64 
			 46 2,203.43 
			 47 2,207.51 
			 48 2,209.20 
			 49 2,249.04 
			 50 2,314.50 
			 51 2,323.34 
			 52 2,428.39 
			 53 2,429.41 
			 54 2,431.22 
			 55 2,478.56 
			 56 2,533.40 
			 57 2,674.32 
			 58 2,816.69 
			 59 2,867.64 
			 60 2,917.10 
			 61 2,962.23 
			 62 2,976.41 
			 63 2,995.07 
			 64 3,014.35 
			 65 3,265.20 
			 66 3,311.41 
			 67 3,342.81 
			 68 3,389.50 
			 69 3,473.29 
			 70 3,536.55 
			 71 3,598.53 
			 72 3,632.38 
			 73 3,662.47 
			 74 3,678.02 
			 75 3,821.10 
			 76 3,840.90 
			 77 3,845.21 
			 78 3,860.88 
			 79 3,924.65 
			 80 4,036.68 
			 81 4,131.49 
			 82 4,234.76 
			 83 4,367.23 
			 84 4,396.97 
			 85 4,422.05 
			 86 4,430.69 
			 87 4,765.10 
			 88 4,815.42 
			 89 4,927.90 
			 90 4,928.80 
			 91 5,461.84 
			 92 5,463.05 
			 93 5,512.54 
			 94 5,599.80 
			 95 5,711.28 
			 96 6,011.93 
			 97 6,116.89 
			 98 6,120.89 
			 99 6,487.05 
			 100 6,487.53 
			 101 6,859.82 
			 102 7,017.09 
			 103 7,150.94 
			 104 7,201.96 
			 105 7,356.10 
			 106 7,674.28 
			 107 7,815.00 
			 108 7,829.00 
			 109 7,972.47 
			 110 8,034.17 
			 111 8,267.87 
			 112 8,336.33 
			 113 8,406.11 
			 114 8,489.62 
			 115 9,038.97 
			 116 9,081.42 
			 117 9,575.76 
			 118 9,768.85 
			 119 9,931.33 
			 120 10,349.52 
			 121 10,421.42 
			 122 10,540.63 
			 123 11,261.49 
			 124 12,110.54 
			 125 12,175.86 
			 126 12,387.59 
			 127 12,620.73 
			 128 12,819.05 
			 129 13,015.24 
			 130 13,893.95 
			 131 14,007.92 
			 132 14,140.00 
			 133 15,339.59 
			 134 15,353.00 
			 135 16,105.99 
			 136 16,332.74 
			 137 17,146.00 
			 138 17,225.54 
			 139 17,820.01 
			 140 18,368.30 
			 141 19,481.46 
			 142 20,816.00 
			 143 21,049.35 
			 144 21,239.32 
			 145 25,286.04 
			 146 25,722.59 
			 147 28,253.76 
			 148 32,121.02 
			 149 33,735.64 
			 150 37,465.39 
			 151 39,906.59 
			 152 46,406.20 
			 153 53,319.36 
			 154 54,864.22 
			 155 55,494.13 
			 156 58,550.01 
			  Source:  FRAIMS The Department will instigate criminal proceedings irrespective of the amount of overpayment where it is in the public interest to do so. For example, an attempt by a fraudster to falsely obtain a national insurance number to gain access to the benefit system may have criminal proceedings instigated against them whether or not there was an overpayment.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 10 November 2010,  Official Report, column 350W, on social security benefits: fraud, what steps are being taken to recover the suspected fraud identified in the cases; what steps he plans to take to recover from them the legal and other costs of pursuing those cases; what estimate he made of the cost to the public purse of taking legal and other action to pursue those cases; and what steps are being taken to arrest the persons concerned in the 550 cases.

Chris Grayling: Once a decision has been made that an overpayment is recoverable the steps taken to effect recovery include deductions from ongoing benefits, instalments, a lump sum or through the courts. Overpayments are not written off if the debtor cannot be immediately located. Comprehensive efforts are made to trace debtors and debts may be pursued over a considerable period of time.
	The Department seeks prosecution costs awards in all cases: it is not limited to those dealt with by warrant. Standard costs are £100.00 in guilty plea and £250.00 in not guilty plea cases heard in the magistrates courts. In the Crown court, applications for prosecution costs start at £350.00 and rise substantially depending on the seriousness, complexity and plea entered. Decisions to award prosecution costs are made by presiding magistrates or judges on a case by case basis.
	Information is not available of the cost to the public purse of taking legal and other action to pursue the 550 cases.
	The Department has nominated staff whose duties include checking all outstanding warrants every month against departmental records and informing the warrant holder, who is normally either based at the local police or court, of changes and requesting immediate execution of warrants. The responsibility to arrest rests with the police.

Social Security Benefits: Reform

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the evidential basis is for the estimate in his Department's White Paper on welfare reform that his proposed benefit reforms will take 300,000 people out of poverty; and over what period he expects this to be achieved.

Chris Grayling: We expect that by the time it is fully implemented, universal credit will have moved 350,000 children and 500,000 working-age adults out of poverty, due to increased benefit entitlement and improved take-up rates. This is estimated using the Department's policy simulation model. These poverty impacts do not take any account of any positive impacts of more people moving into work.

Social Security Benefits: Reform

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people who will no longer be in poverty in  (a) Haslingden and  (b) Hyndburn as a result of implementation of his proposed reforms to the welfare system.

Chris Grayling: The information is not available for the geographical areas requested.
	We estimate that for Great Britain, by the time it is fully implemented, the impact of universal credit will be a net poverty reduction of 350,000 children and 500,000 working-age adults.

Social Security Benefits: Reform

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people likely to have their  (a) housing benefit,  (b) incapacity benefit and  (c) jobseeker's allowance withdrawn as a result of implementation of the proposals in his Department's White Paper on welfare reform.

Chris Grayling: No one will experience a reduction in the benefit they are receiving as a result of the introduction of universal credit. At the point of transition onto the new system, those households whose circumstances remain unchanged and who would otherwise experience a reduction in income will receive cash protection to make up the difference.

Universal Credit: Welfare

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to paragraph 14 of his White Paper entitled Universal Credit: welfare that works, when he plans to set out proposals for a new system of financial sanctions to provide greater incentives for people to meet their responsibilities.

Chris Grayling: Our current proposals for financial sanctions are set out in chapter three of our White Paper, 'Universal Credit: welfare that works'.
	Universal credit will make sure that work pays. In return, claimants can reasonably be expected to look for and prepare for work.
	We also believe that it is fair to ask some claimants to do more to find work in return for receiving current benefits and ahead of the introduction of universal credit we intend to increase the level of labour market conditionality applied to some claimants; introduce a claimant commitment to ensure claimants fully understand what is expected of them; improve the sanctions regime so that it more effectively encourages claimants to meet their responsibilities; and introduce full-time mandatory work activity.
	These changes will form the basis of the labour market conditionality and sanctions system under universal credit.
	Those measures that require primary legislation will form part of the Welfare Reform Bill to be introduced in the new year.

Vacancies: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of vacancies for  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time employment in Peterborough city council area on (i) 1 April 2008, (ii) 1 April 2009, (iii) 1 April 2010 and (iv) 1 September 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is in the following tables.
	The figures provided relate just to vacancies notified to Jobcentre Plus and, as such, represent a market share of vacancies throughout the whole economy. Comprehensive estimates of all job vacancies and not just those notified to Jobcentre Plus, are available from the ONS Vacancy Survey. However, the ONS survey is currently designed to provide national estimates only.
	August 2010 is the most recent available data.
	
		
			  N umber of notified vacancies for the months of April 2008, April 2009, April 2010 and August 2010: Peterborough local authority 
			  Date  Full-time vacancies  Part-time vacancies 
			 April 2008 973 198 
			 April 2009 608 228 
			 April 2010 1,113 278 
			 August 2010 1,451 420 
		
	
	
		
			  N umber of live unfilled vacancies for the months of April 2008, April 2009, April 2010 and August 2010: Peterborough local authority 
			  Date  Full-time vacancies  Part-time vacancies 
			 April 2008 1,336 221 
			 April 2009 500 146 
			 April 2010 813 252 
			 August 2010 918 419 
			  Source: Jobcentre Plus Labour Market System.

Asbestos: Employers' Liability

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will bring forward proposals to ensure that those with asbestos-related illnesses are eligible to claim on employers' insurance if the exposure to asbestos occurred while at work.

Chris Grayling: The Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 requires employers carrying on business in Great Britain to insure their liability to their employees for bodily injury or disease sustained in the course of their employment. This Act ensures that those with asbestos-related diseases can claim compensation against their employers' liability insurance, where the employer has been negligent in exposing them to asbestos while at work.
	However, a recent Court of Appeal case has considered how the wording of these employers' liability insurance policies affects civil compensation for mesothelioma sufferers and we had hoped that the judgment would have provided a general principle on how these policies should deal with their mesothelioma claims. The court decided that the policies should be interpreted based on the actual policy wording, which means that some sufferers may not be able to claim compensation if the insurance policy was worded in such a way that prevents a claim from being made. We expect this judgment to be appealed to the Supreme Court.
	In February 2010 the previous Government published their consultation document, 'Accessing Compensation-Supporting people who need to trace employers' liability insurance', which set out proposals for people who need to find their employers' liability insurance policies in order to claim compensation. The consultation closed on 5 May 2010. There were two proposals; firstly an Employers' Liability Tracing Office, that would manage a database of EL policies. Secondly, an Employers' Liability Insurance Bureau which would be a compensation fund of last resort for those individuals who are unable to trace EL insurance records, ensuring they are able to receive compensation for injuries or diseases sustained during the course of their employment. We are in active discussions with all stakeholders on how this situation can be addressed and we will publish our response to the consultation in due course.

CABINET OFFICE

Banks: Finance

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether the Office for National Statistics calculation of public sector net debt takes account of the recapitalisation of banks.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply to the hon. Member. A copy of their response will be placed in the Library.

Big Society Bank

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office by what date he expects the Big Society Bank to  (a) be established and  (b) commence distributing funds.

Nick Hurd: The Government aim to have some functions of the Big Society Bank in place by April, then building towards a fully operational Bank. It will be ready to make initial investments by early summer, which is when we expect the first dormant accounts money will become available.

Charity Commission

Louise Ellman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the proposed changes to the operation of the Charity Commission; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: The Charity Commission, like some Government Departments, is facing tough decisions about its future priorities following the spending review. It is undertaking a strategic review to focus on the key priorities for its future work, including seeking the views of the public and other stakeholders. In addition, the statutory review of the Charities Act 2006 which is due to take place in 2011 will consider potential changes to the legislative framework for charities and the Charity Commission.
	The Charity Commission's strategic review is currently under way and it would be premature to speculate on the outcome, but I am confident that the Charity Commission can be an effective regulator of charities in England and Wales within the resources allocated in its spending review settlement.

Community Organisers

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what roles and responsibilities the proposed community organisers will have; and what mechanisms he plans to put in place to monitor and assess their effectiveness.

Nick Hurd: Community organisers will act as a catalyst for more social action, supporting all parts of the community (including under-represented and disadvantaged groups and individuals), to express their needs and issues, as well as identify opportunities and resources. Through supporting communities to take action, they will:
	(a) Build capacity of the community they serve by helping the community take action on the issues that matter most to them;
	(b) Help the community challenge vested interests and drive change in public and private sector organisations and in the community;
	(c) Build self-reliance, individual and collective responsibility;
	(d) Encourage diverse people to work with others to improve the quality of life locally;
	(e) Identify local leaders who can carry forward actions;
	(f) Support and link new and existing neighbourhood groups (thereby supporting the activity of the Community First programme, a targeted grants programme, currently under development).
	The Office for Civil Society is currently procuring a national partner to further develop, manage and implement the community organisers programme at arms length from Government. This ensures that community organisers will be accountable to the national partner, while remaining free from political influence.
	The effectiveness of the community organisers will also be measured by the success they have in enabling the communities to take successful actions for change, on the priorities that the communities have identified. Community organisers will be accountable to the community they are supporting as well as any institutions which support them.

Deaths: Winter

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on responsibility for steps to prevent excess winter deaths.

Francis Maude: Officials from all key Departments are in regular contact on a wide range of winter resilience issues, including steps to reduce the number of excess deaths over the winter period.

Emergencies

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the outcomes of the comprehensive spending review on his Department's civil contingencies programmes.

Francis Maude: The Government's plans for changes in the United Kingdom's civil contingencies programmes, within the resources available through the 2010 spending review, are set out in chapter 4 of the strategic defence and security review published on 19 October.
	The need for resilience to all kinds of emergency is identified in the National Security Strategy as a priority task. The role of the Cabinet Office is to co-ordinate Government-wide resilience planning and programmes, and will continue therefore to be an important task for the Department.

Football: World Cup 2010

Graham Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department spent on attendance at the 2010 FIFA World cup.

Nick Hurd: The Cabinet Office did not spend any money on attendance at the 2010 FIFA World cup.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry: Public Appointments

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what skills and experience were identified as being required for the role of Secretary to the Iraq Inquiry; how many candidates were identified as having such skills and experience; and on what basis the successful candidate was selected;
	(2)  what steps were taken in the process of appointment of the Secretary to the Iraq Inquiry  (a) to identify potential conflicts of interest and  (b) to ensure that any such conflicts did not affect the independence of the inquiry.

Nick Hurd: The Cabinet Secretary decided to nominate the Secretary to the Iraq Inquiry and agreed the appointment with the Chairman of the Inquiry. Both the Cabinet Secretary and the Chairman of the Inquiry agreed that the Secretary to the Inquiry should be a senior individual in the civil service ideally with previous involvement in Iraq issues.
	The Chairman of the Inquiry has told the Cabinet Secretary that, in agreeing to the appointment, he was aware of the candidate's role in the Foreign and Defence Policy (formerly the Defence and Overseas Policy) Secretariat in the Cabinet Office from November 2004, and, given the professional standards of the senior civil service, saw no potential conflict of interest with her appointment as Secretary to the Inquiry that would, in his view, affect the independence of the Inquiry.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry: Public Appointments

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which of his Department's human resources procedures were followed in the selection of the  (a) secretary and  (b) press secretary to the Iraq Inquiry.

Nick Hurd: The roles were filled by applying the managed move policy in accordance with the Cabinet Office human resources procedures.

National Citizen Service

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on what dates Ministers in the Cabinet Office have met Lord Wei to discuss the National Citizen Service.

Nick Hurd: Ministers in the Cabinet Office meet with Lord Wei frequently to discuss many subjects in his capacity as Government adviser on Big Society, including National Citizen Service (NCS). Information relating to internal discussions and advice is not normally disclosed.

National Citizen Service

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has for the role of the National Citizen Service in providing public services; and what plans he has to monitor and assess the service's performance in that role.

Nick Hurd: National Citizen Service (NCS) is a scheme to help young people to serve their communities and to develop personally. It is not envisaged that NCS will be used to provide public services, although as part of their summer NCS experience there may be opportunities for young people to volunteer with, and learn more about, public service providers in their area.
	An independent evaluation will be conducted to assess the impact of National Citizen Service during the pilot phase.

National Citizen Service

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what procurement process his Department undertook for the pilots of the National Citizen Service.

Nick Hurd: Cabinet Office conducted a fully open and competitive process to select the providers of 2011 National Citizen Service (NCS) pilots. This involved a public invitation of expressions of interest from any organisation or group of organisations interested in running NCS pilots in 2011, followed by the invitation of full proposals from organisations and consortiums shortlisted at the expression of interest stage.

Third Sector: Finance

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps his Department plans to take to monitor the effectiveness of the transition fund for charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises.

Nick Hurd: The transition fund is a significant fund that will provide much needed and immediate support for charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises to help them take on an even bigger role in this country in the medium to long term. Our key aim is to make this support available quickly, so that organisations can make the necessary changes to make the transition to a tighter funding environment and take advantage of the opportunities presented by the Big Society. The Office for Civil Society has worked with the fund manager, BIG Fund, to develop arrangements for monitoring the outcomes achieved by successful applicants.
	The transition fund was launched on 30 November and is open for applications until 21 January 2011.

Third Sector: Finance

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the potential contribution to the Big Society initiative of proposed changes in his Department's funding of community groups and charities.

Nick Hurd: Civil Society cannot be immune from the need to reduce the deficit, but the allocation of around £470 million to the Office for Civil Society within the Cabinet Office budget shows our support in very tight circumstances.
	Charities, communities and social enterprises have a tremendous role to play in building the Big Society, through their ability to galvanise community action, provide better public services and represent and empower communities. We will use our settlement to support them in this work, making it easier to set up and run a charity or social enterprise, and easier for such organisations to access finance and work with the state.
	While Big Society opens up many opportunities for the sector, we recognise however that the sector is exposed during the transitional period leading up to them, and so the spending review settlement therefore includes a £100 million transition fund for the sector in England. Funding for Charities and community Groups outside England is largely a matter for devolved administrations.

Third Sector: Finance

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the likely effects on  (a) community groups and  (b) charities of changes to their funding as a result of the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Nick Hurd: It is currently too early to evaluate the impact of the comprehensive spending review on  (a) community groups and  (b) charities. However the Cabinet Office has worked with partners in the sector, across Government and the Third Sector Research Centre to examine the exposure of the sector to public spending reductions and to mitigate potential impacts.
	The Big Society presents a great opportunity for voluntary and community groups, as we open up public services and devolve power; and the Government are therefore committed to supporting the sector through this transitional period. This includes: a £100 million transition fund to help organisations with shortfalls in the short-term; publishing evidence and best practice to support government at all levels to make cuts wisely and in partnership with the sector; and, setting out policy measures to open up new sources of funding and help the sector maximise new opportunities in the strategy document 'Building a Stronger Civil Society'.
	Funding for charities and community groups outside England is largely a matter for devolved Administrations.

Written Questions: Government Responses

David Amess: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  if he will make it his policy that guidance on answering round robin questions produced by his Department in respect of questions tabled in  (a) the House of Lords and  (b) House of Commons is circulated to departments within three days of the question being tabled; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent estimate he has made of the number of questions to Government tabled in the House of Lords that remain unanswered after 10 working days as a result of the timing of circulation of guidance on answering round robins; what recent representations he has received from Cabinet colleagues about the issue; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: All Ministers are responsible and accountable for the answers given to parliamentary questions within specified deadlines. In the case of questions that are deemed to be "round robin", The Guide to Parliamentary Work, published by the Leader of the House of Commons
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/government-business/parliamentary-business.aspx
	states that Departments should not delay preparing an answer until "round robin" advice is provided, and should not miss the target deadlines for this reason.

HEALTH

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women aged  (a) 18 to 24 years and  (b) 25 to 30 years in each strategic health authority area who had had (i) one, (ii) two, (iii) three, (iv) four, (v) five, (vi) six, (vii) seven, (viii) eight, (ix) nine and (x) 10 or more previous abortions had an abortion in 2009.

Anne Milton: Information on previous abortions by age group and strategic health authority in 2009 is shown in the following table. The data have been provided for age groups 25 to 29 years for consistency with data published in the Department's statistical bulletin. Information on previous abortions is extracted from the HSA4 abortion notification forms submitted to the chief medical officer (CMO). These data show the total number of abortions notified to CMO and not data for individual women as more than one form may be received for a woman in a calendar year.
	
		
			  Abortions by age group, strategic health authority and number of previous abortions, residents of England and Wales, 2009 
			Age group 
			  Strategic health authority  Number of previous abortions  18-24  25-29 
			 England and Wales 0 55,086 23,817 
			  1 17,746 12,392 
			  2 - 3,262 
			  3 - 828 
			  4 - 242 
			  5 - 70 
			  6 or more - - 
			  Total 76,900 40,634 
			 
			 East of England 0 4,616 1,969 
			  1 1,434 1,020 
			  2 - 277 
			  3 or more - 98 
			  Total 6,383 3,364 
			 
			 East Midlands 0 3,898 1,485 
			  1 1,021 660 
			  2 - 164 
			  3 or more - 57 
			  Total 5,121 2,366 
			 
			 London 0 10,691 6,505 
			  1 4,556 3,662 
			  2 - 1,103 
			  3 or more - 462 
			  Total 16,555 11,732 
			 
			 North East 0 2,490 883 
			  1 630 415 
			  2 - 102 
			  3 or more - 28 
			  Total 3,230 1,428 
			 
			 North West 0 8,070 3,078 
			  1 2,467 1,530 
			  2 - 353 
			  3 or more - 108 
			  Total 11,016 5,069 
			 
			 South Central 0 3,190 1,392 
			  1 993 631 
			  2 - 176 
			  3 or more - 53 
			  Total 4,402 2,252 
			 
			 South East 0 3,671 1,429 
			  1 1,212 865 
			  2 - 219 
			  3 or more - 81 
			  Total 5,172 2,594 
			 
			 South West 0 4,209 1,520 
			  1 1,096 702 
			  2 - 144 
			  3 or more - 44 
			  Total 5,520 2,410 
			 
			 West Midlands 0 6,028 2,361 
			  1 2,044 1,303 
			  2 - 354 
			  3 or more - 95 
			  Total 8,546 4,113 
			 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 0 5,295 2,045 
			  1 1,527 1,065 
			  2 - 258 
			  3 or more - 95 
			  Total 7,101 3,463 
			 
			 Wales 0 2,928 1,150 
			  1 766 539 
			  2 - 112 
			  3 or more - 42 
			  Total 3,854 1,843 
			 '-' = Suppressed value less than 10 (between 0 and 9) or where a presented total would reveal a suppressed value when used with previously published tables. This is in line with Office for National Statistics guidance for the release of abortion statistics 2005.

Abortion: Marriage

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of women who had an abortion in 2009 were married at the time of the abortion; what the modal  (a) age of the women,  (b) length gestation of the pregnancy,  (c) number of previous children born to the women and  (d) number of previous abortions undergone by the women was; and what the most common legal grounds was under which such abortions were performed.

Anne Milton: The information requested can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  Most likely( 1)  conditions for married women( 2)  having abortions in 2009, residents of England and Wales 
			   Total abortions to married women  Age  Gestation weeks  Number of previous children  Number of previous abortions  Ground 
			 England and Wales (3)26,971 29 7 2 0 C 
			 (1 )Statistical mode (highest frequency). (2) Includes civil partnership. (3) 15% of total abortions.  Note: Ground C: that the pregnancy has not exceeded its twenty-fourth week and that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk: greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.

Accident and Emergency Departments

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were treated in the accident and emergency department in  (a) Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup  (b) Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich and  (c) Princess Royal Hospital, Farnborough in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: This information is not collected in the format requested. The information that is available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Attendances at accident and emergency departments, 2005-06 to 2009-10 
			   First attendances 
			  Org name  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust 82,418 86,132 84,202 84,162 - 
			 Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust 98,280 98,798 99,534 98,224 - 
			 Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust 71,241 71,802 74,060 80,273 - 
			 South London Healthcare NHS Trust - - - - 274,634 
			  Notes: 1. Data is provided by NHS Trust. 2. Data provided are first attendances at the trusts A&E departments.  Source: Department of Health form Quarterly Monitoring of Accident and Emergency

Barnet General Hospital: Private Finance Initiative

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the running costs of Barnet General Hospital was paid to the private finance initiative provider in each year from 2005 to 2009; and if he will estimate the proportion to be paid to the private finance initiative provider in  (a) 2010 and  (b) 2011.

Simon Burns: The information is not available in the format requested. However, data for net operating expenses for Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals National Health Service Trust in respect of its private finance initiative (PFI) scheme are set out in the following table.
	Data are not held centrally for 2010-11 or 2011-12.
	
		
			  Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust: Proportion of total operating expenses relating to PFI 
			   Percentage of total revenue expenditure relating to PFI 
			 2005-06 5.5 
			 2006-07 4.8 
			 2007-08 4.0 
			 2008-09 3.6 
			 2009-10 3.3 
			  Notes: 1. The source of the data is the audited summarisation schedules of the trust for 2005-06 to 2009-10. 2. The percentages provided represent the net operating expenses in respect of PFI schemes as a proportion of total operating expenses. 3. 2005-06 to 2008-09 figures compiled under UK generally accepted accounting practice. 4. 2009-10 accounts were compiled under international finance reporting standards.

Basophobia: NHS

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what treatments for basophobia are available on the NHS; whether he expects new treatments to be available in the next two years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps his Department has taken to increase the standard of healthcare for people diagnosed with basophobia since 1990; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  whether he has made an estimate of the number of  (a) men and  (b) women in each age group in each health authority area who were diagnosed with basophobia in each of the last three years;
	(4)  whether his Department has commissioned research into  (a) basophobia and  (b) conditions related to basophobia in the last three years; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  whether his Department has commissioned research into the  (a) causes and  (b) prevention of basophobia since 1990; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: Basophobia, a fear of falling, is one of a large number of specific phobias that generally respond well to cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) although it is important that physical health issues that might make someone more likely to fall, such as low blood pressure, are checked out before psychological treatment is started. CBT is now increasingly available on the national health service as a result of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme which began in 2008 and is about half-way through its nationwide roll-out. The Chancellor announced further funding in the spending review to complete this roll-out by 2014-15. These local psychological therapies services, which are delivered in primary care, are ideal for patients with specific phobias like basophobia because of the ease with which therapists can link with the patient's general practitioner.
	With regard to research into the condition, the usual practice of the Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available.

British Medical Association: Competition

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from the  (a) British Medical Association,  (b) Royal College of Nursing and  (c) Royal Colleges on competition in the provision of health services.

Simon Burns: The Department received over 6000 responses to the White Paper consultation and these are being considered carefully. The Government's response will be published in due course.
	The British Medical Association, Royal College of Nursing and other Royal Colleges responded to Government's consultation document: "Liberating the NHS: Regulating healthcare providers". A copy of the consultation document has already been placed in the Library.
	Details of their responses to consultation can be found at:
	British Medical Association:
	www.bma.org.uk/healthcare_policy/nhs_white_paper/consultationpaperswp.jsp
	Royal College of General Practitioners:
	www.rcgp.org.uk/policy/liberating_the_nhs.aspx
	Royal College of Midwives:
	www.rcm.org.uk/college/policy-practice/consultations/past-consultations/nhs-white-paper-consultations/
	Royal College of Psychiatrists:
	www.rcpsych.ac.uk/policy/policyandparliamentary/projects/live/whitepaper.aspx

Cancer: Waiting Lists

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the average waiting time to see a cancer specialist in each year of the comprehensive spending review period;
	(2)  what the average waiting time to see a cancer specialist was in each primary care trust area in England in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: The Department has made no projections of performance for the all cancer two week wait and does not hold information on average waiting times for these services. In the most recent period for which statistics are available (Quarter 1 2010-11) 95.5% of patients urgently referred with suspected cancer by their general practitioner (GP) were seen within two weeks.
	Statistics on average waiting times for cancer services are not collected centrally. However, primary care trust (PCT) based performance statistics for the all cancer two week wait were published for the first time in September this year and can be found at the following link:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/DH_119478
	The most recent statistics available are for the year 2009-10 and show that between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2010 94.9% of patients urgently referred by their GP with suspected cancer were first seen by a specialist within two weeks. Information on the number of patients urgently referred by their GP with suspected cancer who were first seen by a specialist within two weeks, broken down by PCT in England, has been placed in the Library.

Cataracts: Surgery

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to widen choice for patients undergoing cataract surgery in the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: We are committed to extending choice for all national health service patients and service users, including those who are referred for elective care such as cataract treatment. We are currently consulting on proposals for giving patients and service users greater choice and control over their care and we will publish our response along with more detailed policy proposals early next year.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department made an estimate of the effect on the number of  (a) emergency hospital admissions and  (b) inpatient bed days of increasing the rate of early diagnosis for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Simon Burns: The consultation on a strategy for services for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, published earlier this year, included publication of an impact assessment which included estimates of the impact of the strategy as a whole on the numbers and costs of emergency hospital admissions. No explicit estimates were made relating to in-patient bed days, or to the specific impact of improving the rate of early diagnosis of the disease. The consultation documents have already been placed in the Library, and can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_112977

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the stage of disease at which chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is most frequently diagnosed; and whether his Department holds information for benchmarking purposes on the diagnosis of that disease in other EU member states.

Simon Burns: The information the Department holds on the stage at which chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is diagnosed was published as part of the Department's consultation on a strategy for services for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in England and is included in the consultation impact assessment. The consultation documents have already been placed in the Library and can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_112977
	The Department does not hold information for benchmarking purposes on the stage of diagnosis in other European Union member states.

Clostridium Difficile

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what penalties may be imposed on NHS hospital trusts which fail to meet his Department's targets for reducing the incidence of clostridium difficile.

Simon Burns: Poor performance in relation to clostridium difficile is covered within the NHS Standard Contracts that commissioners are expected to use for NHS funded services as a basis for setting out their expectations in terms of performance by their providers.
	It falls into the Nationally Specified Events aspect of the contract, which introduces a sliding scale of deductions of up to 2% of the annual contract value if the provider breaches the number of cases of clostridium difficile infections in a contract year compared with the previous year's performance. The primary care trust is required to make the year-end deduction under the provisions of the relevant clause within the contract.

Clostridium Difficile: Screening

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase the proportion of patients screened for the early detection of clostridium difficile.

Simon Burns: For patients who develop diarrhoea, existing guidance, clostridium difficile infection: How to deal with the problem', published by the Department and the Health Protection Agency, makes clear prompt testing is crucial. A copy has been placed in the Library.
	Expert advice is that screening of patients without symptoms for clostridium difficile infection is unnecessary, as current evidence indicates that it is not clinically effective.

Day Care: Greater London

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has made an estimate of the likely change in the number of  (a) daycare centres and  (b) residential homes in (i) West Ham constituency and (ii) Newham in the next 12 months.

Simon Burns: Care homes are operated by local councils or independent-private and charitable/voluntary-organisations. Day care is not a regulated service; councils are free to take their own decisions on its provision.
	It is for local councils to ensure, through their planning and commissioning of all social care services, that there is sufficient capacity to meet local need. Therefore no such estimate has been made by the Department.
	In recognition of the pressures on the social care system in a challenging fiscal climate, the Government have allocated an additional £2 billion by 2014-15 to support the delivery of social care.
	This means, with an ambitious programme of efficiency, that there is enough funding available both to protect people's access to services and deliver new approaches to improve quality and outcomes.

Dental Services: Yorkshire and Humber

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of NHS dental service centres available in Yorkshire and the Humber; and what steps he is taking to improve provision for emergency treatment.

Simon Burns: It is for primary care trusts to decide how local services, including dental access centres and urgent care, should develop to meet local needs and service priorities.

Departmental Grants

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the monetary value of grants awarded by his Department was in 2009-10; and how much he expects to award in grants in  (a) 2010-11 and  (b) 2011-12;
	(2)  what grants have been awarded by his Department in 2010-11 to date; what grants he plans to award in each of the next two years; what the monetary value is of each such grant; and to which organisations such grants are made.

Paul Burstow: Information about grants awarded to voluntary organisations is routinely published on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_118373
	Specific information about all of the Departments grant awards for 2009-10 and 2010-11 has been placed in the Library. In 2009-10 the total value of grants awarded to voluntary organisations was £104,942,584. In 2010-11 the total value of grants awarded to voluntary organisations was £109,843,051.
	The monetary value of the Department's grants to third sector organisations in 2011-12 will not be agreed until primary care trust allocations have been decided. However, the Government are committed to ensuring that appropriate support is available to voluntary organisations to enable them to contribute to improving health and well-being, building strong and resilient communities as part of the Big Society.

Departmental Postal Services

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to identify those of its services that could be provided through the Post Office network.

Simon Burns: "Securing the Post Office Network in the Digital Age" published on 9 November 2010 set out the Government's policy for the Post Office and the provision of Government services. The Department is currently consulting on an information revolution for health and social care. One of the key challenges will be to ensure that information can reach all sections of society. We want to hear from people as to how that can happen and very much welcome responses and ideas, including any views on how or whether making specific services available through Post Offices can play a role within that broader strategy.
	A copy of the consultation document, "Liberating the NHS: An Information Revolution" has already been placed in the Library and is available on the Department's website at
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_120080

Diabetes

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been diagnosed with diabetes through the NHS vascular screening programme; and what steps the NHS is taking to inform members of the public of their entitlement to screening.

Paul Burstow: The primary purpose of the programme is risk assessment and risk management rather than diagnosis. However, the modelling undertaken by the Department indicates that, at full roll out, as well as preventing over 4,000 people a year developing diabetes, the programme will detect a significant amount of hitherto undiagnosed disease.
	Primary care trusts (PCTs) began phased implementation of the programme from April 2009 and it is for them to decide how to inform local eligible populations about it. Most PCTs have been inviting people individually and informing them of their entitlement to an NHS health check by letter of invitation. As they become more experienced in managing demand for the risk assessment element of the check and confident about their capacity to deliver the risk management, PCTs are increasingly running awareness campaigns.

Disability: Children

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for his Department's funding of disabled children's services  (a) after March 2011 and  (b) in Sunderland from 2010 to 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: Primary care trust (PCT) revenue allocations are not broken down by policy or service area. Once allocated, it is for PCTs to commission the services they require to meet the health care needs of their local populations, taking account of both local and national priorities.
	PCTs have been informed of their revenue allocations up to 2010-11. Sunderland Teaching PCT received revenue allocations of £510 million in 2009-10 and £538 million in 2010-11.
	PCT revenue allocations post 2010-11 will be announced in December 2010.

Freedom of Information

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answers of 1 July 2008,  Official Report, column 862W, and 1 September 2008,  Official Report, column 1675W, on departmental freedom of information, if he will place in the Library a copy of the information provided on each topic in respect of which the request was  (a) agreed to and answered in full and  (b) agreed to and answered in part since November 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: Copies of the information requested by my hon. Friend have been placed in the Library.

General Practitioners

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which private health providers  (a) he,  (b) Ministers in his Department and  (c) officials in his Department have met to discuss the proposed GP consortiums since 6 May 2010.

Simon Burns: There have been several meetings with private health providers specifically to discuss general practitioner (GP) consortiums and issues such as commissioning support for them.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State held a meeting with a group of companies who provide commissioning support to GP consortiums. The companies represented were UnitedHealth UK, Tribal UK, Humana Europe, Aetna UK and Ingenix.
	Departmental officials have met with The Practice, Aetna UK, Tribal, Dr Foster Intelligence, PPP-Axa Healthcare, NHS Shared Business Services, UnitedHealth UK, and GE Healthcare.

General Practitioners

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the provisions of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 will apply in respect of the transfer of staff from primary care trusts to GP consortiums.

Simon Burns: For those staff transferring from primary care trusts to general practitioner (GP) commissioning consortiums, transfers will be covered by either the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE) and/or the Cabinet Office Staff Transfers in the Public Sector Statement of Practice which provides terms that are overall no less favourable than if TUPE was applied.

General Practitioners

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which reserve powers will be retained by his Department following the transfer of commissioning from primary care trusts to GP consortiums;
	(2)  what powers his Department will have to take action in respect of a GP consortium becoming financially unsustainable after the implementation of his proposals for practice-based commissioning.

Simon Burns: General practitioner (GP) commissioning consortiums will be authorised and held to account by the NHS Commissioning Board. The NHS Commissioning Board will have powers to intervene in the event that a consortium is failing to manage their finances effectively or deliver acceptable outcomes for their patients.
	The Secretary of State for Health will remain accountable for the health service with powers to set the legislative framework within which the NHS Commissioning Board and GP consortiums will operate but will not have powers to intervene in relation to individual consortiums. Further details will be set out in the Government's forthcoming response to the consultation on the White Paper "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS".

General Practitioners

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely average amount of time per week GPs will allocate to running GP consortiums as a result of his proposals to transfer commissioning from primary care trusts to GPs.

Simon Burns: The Department has not made an estimate of the likely average amount of time per week general practitioners (GPs) will allocate to running GP consortia.
	A fundamental principle of the new commissioning arrangements will be that every GP practice will be a member of a consortium and contribute to its goals. However, our proposed model will mean that not all GPs have to be actively involved in every aspect of commissioning. Their predominant focus will continue to be on providing high quality primary care to their patients. It is likely to be a smaller group of primary care practitioners who will lead the consortium and play an active role in the clinical design of local services.
	Consortiums are likely to carry out a number of commissioning activities themselves. In other cases, consortiums may choose to act collectively, adopting a lead commissioner arrangement. They may also choose to buy in support from external organisations, including local authorities and private and voluntary sector bodies, which might include analytical activity to profile and stratify healthcare needs, support for procurement of services, and contract monitoring.

Haemophilia

Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether the NHS took steps to advise haemophiliacs that plasma pool samples from factor VIII and IX products produced by the NHS for their use had been tested for pathogens; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether he plans to release further information held by his Department on the potential pathogenic side effects on haemophiliacs of factor VIII and IX products produced by the NHS for their use; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: It was and still is the responsibility of individual clinicians to advise their patients of the risks associated with their treatment. In addition, knowledge of both HIV and hepatitis C emerged gradually, over a period of time in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
	All of the relevant Government papers that are available from the period before 1985, when heat treatment for such products was introduced, are on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/FreedomOfInformation/Freedomofinformationpublicationschemefeedback/FOIreleases/DH_076693
	Given the level of public interest in this matter, the Government are ready to release any more relevant documents should any come to light.

Help is at Hand Leaflet

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of copies of his Department's leaflet entitled Help is at Hand distributed by  (a) primary care trusts,  (b) police forces and  (c) local authorities in each of the last four years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to ensure that his Department's publication Help is at Hand is received by those whom it is intended to assist; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: Help is at Hand is a resource pack to support people bereaved by suicide or other sudden or traumatic deaths, which was launched in 2006. We have not collected data in the format requested by the hon. Member. However, data provided by the Department's publications orderline, PROLOG, were analysed to show the number of copies of each edition of the resource pack supplied to public institutions and private individuals between 12 September 2006 and 31 December 2009. The total number of packs distributed over this time period was 44,765.
	To ensure effective promotion and dissemination of this bereavement pack we undertook a full and comprehensive evaluation of this resource. This evaluation is now complete and will be published before the end of December. Once we have published this evaluation we will consider how best to ensure it is available to all of those who need it.
	Support for those bereaved by suicide is a priority for the new suicide prevention strategy currently being developed and due for publication in the new year.

Hemofil T: Clinical Trials

Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 23 November 2010,  Official Report, column 251W, on Hemofil T: clinical trials, what consideration his Department has given to obtaining information on the proportion of patients on the Hemofil T trial that were mild, moderate or severe haemophiliacs; and what assessment he has made of the levels of interest in the issue among  (a) the public and  (b) hon. Members and Members of the House of Lords.

Simon Burns: The Department and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency do not hold records of the Hemofil T trial and have not received previous correspondence regarding this specific trial from either the public or Members of the House of Commons or the House of Lords.

Hereditary Diseases

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 8 November 2010,  Official Report, column 147W, on hereditary diseases, whether his Department collects information on genetic conditions causing increased morbidity and mortality in children born to first cousin parents.

Anne Milton: As stated in my previous answer, 8 November 2010,  Official Report, column 147W, the Department of Health does not routinely collect this specific type of information centrally.
	The Department recognises the value of adequate surveillance of congenital anomalies in order to detect any unforeseen increase of genetic defects due to this or any other causes. Surveillance helps develop local services specifically designed to deal with consanguineous relationships. This includes initiatives delivered through regional NHS genetic counselling services that work to raise awareness of the risks associated with cousin marriage.
	Most couples in consanguineous relationships will have healthy children. Overall the risk of a couple having a child with a severe genetic condition is still relatively small, estimated at 4% for cousin marriages compared to 2% for unrelated parents.

Hereford County Hospital: Private Finance Initiative

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the total running costs for Hereford county hospital  (a) was paid to the private finance initiative provider in each year from 2005-09 and  (b) is projected to be so paid in (i) 2011 and (ii) 2011.

Simon Burns: The information is not available in the format requested. However, data for the proportion of total revenue expenditure by Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust in respect of its private finance initiative (PFI) scheme is set out in the following table.
	Data are not held centrally for 2010-11 or 2011-12.
	
		
			  Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust-Proportion of total revenue expenditure relating to PFI 
			   Percentage of total revenue expenditure relating to PFI 
			 2005-06 13.3 
			 2006-07 13.3 
			 2007-08 13.3 
			 2008-09 12.0 
			 2009-10(1) 10.8 
			 (1) 2009-10 accounts were compiled under International Finance Reporting Standards under which PFI costs in the audited summarisation schedules of trusts are split between capital repayments and revenue expenditure elements, which does not make a precise like for like comparison with earlier years in this table possible. However, an estimate of the PFI unitary payment for 2009-10 is held centrally by the Department as well as the audited outturn revenue expenditure figure for the Trust for this year and the percentage figure for this year is calculated using these two figures  Notes: 1. The source of the data is the audited summarisation schedules of the trust for 2005-06 to 2009-10. 2. The percentages provided represent the net revenue expenditure in respect of PFI schemes as a proportion of total revenue expenditure. 3. 2005-06 to 2008-09 figures compiled under UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice.

Medical Schools

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many medical school places were available in 2009-10.

Anne Milton: The intake to medical schools in England in autumn 2009, was 6,453 students, as shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Medical school intake in England-2009-10 academic year 
			  University/college  Total intake of students 
			 University of Birmingham 428 
			 University of Brighton 147 
			 University of Bristol 268 
			 University of Cambridge 306 
			 University of Durham 98 
			 University of East Anglia 169 
			 University of Hull 160 
			 Imperial College 309 
			 Keele University 135 
			 King's College London 417 
			 University of Leeds 280 
			 University of Leicester 284 
			 University of Liverpool 397 
			 University of Manchester 406 
			 University of Newcastle 259 
			 University of Nottingham 348 
			 University of Oxford 185 
			 Peninsula School of Medicine and Dentistry 218 
			 Queen Mary, University of London 387 
			 St George's Hospital Medical School 274 
			 University of Sheffield 255 
			 University of Southampton 252 
			 University College London 285 
			 University of Warwick 186 
			 Total 6,453 
			  Note: These figures are provisional until November/December 2010 when revised figures will be reported to HEFCE.  Source: Higher Education Funding Council for England-November 2009

Medical Schools: Public Expenditure

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of medical school places that will be available in each year of the Comprehensive Spending Review period.

Anne Milton: There are no current plans to change numbers but they will be kept under review based on forecast future demand with the advice of the Centre for Workforce Intelligence.

Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus: Screening

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made towards meeting his Department's 2011 deadline for the screening of non-elective patients for MRSA.

Simon Burns: As outlined in the "NHS Operating Framework 2010/11", there is a requirement to introduce Methicillin-resistant  Staphylococcus aureus screening. Good progress is being made by organisations to implement screening for this cohort of patients, with some organisations already having declared full implementation of the policy and all organisations planning to implement emergency screening for relevant emergency admissions within the expected time scale. Strategic health authorities will continue to monitor delivery towards the requirement by 31 December 2010.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to reduce the incidence of MRSA.

Simon Burns: This Government are determined to do all they can to support the health and adult social care providers reduce Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). From the outset, through the Coalition Agreement, this Government made clear that they expected the national health service to adopt a zero tolerance approach to all health care associated infections (HCAIs), including MRSA.
	In the revision of the 2010-11 Operating Framework published in June, it was made clear that the NHS should continue prioritising the achievement of the MRSA objective. The successful implementation of this objective will deliver both an overall reduction nationally and, importantly, will reduce variation by moving all organisations towards the performance of the best.
	At the same time, the revision of the Operating Framework confirmed that it expected and required the NHS to implement MRSA screening of all relevant emergency admissions by the end of this year.
	In terms of using the availability of data as a driver to supporting further reductions in MRSA, we have introduced weekly data publication of both MRSA blood stream infections and Clostridium difficile infections at hospital site level.
	We are also committed to ensuring that the NHS continue to have access to evidence based guidance in order that they can reduce the number of all HCAIs, including MRSA, through the implementation of effective infection prevention and control practices. This guidance is available on the Department of Health's "Clean, Safe Care" website.
	The Health and Social Care Act 2008 "Code of Practice for health and adult social care on the Prevention and Control of Infections and related guidance", which the Care Quality Commission uses as a basis for assessing compliance with the registration requirement on cleanliness and infection control has been a driver for improvement in the hospital setting. The scope of the Code has already been extended to adult social care settings and will include primary care in due course so that we can ensure that all settings where patients receive care and treatment operate comparable infection prevention and control practices.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus: Screening

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department collates for the purpose of monitoring rates of MRSA.

Simon Burns: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia are subject to mandatory reporting to the Health Protection Agency. The Department uses the outputs from this system to assess and monitor rates of MRSA bacteraemia at both national and local levels.

Multiple Sclerosis: Health Services

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the membership is of the independent scientific advisory group of the multiple sclerosis risk-sharing scheme;
	(2)  how many patients have taken part in the multiple sclerosis risk-sharing scheme; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of administering drug treatments under the scheme;
	(3)  which organisation is responsible for monitoring outcomes for patients involved in the multiple sclerosis risk-sharing scheme; and when the results of the scheme will be published.

Simon Burns: The scientific advisory group of the multiple sclerosis risk sharing scheme (MS RSS) comprises individuals with expertise in clinical research, epidemiology and trials and health economics. The group is chaired by Richard Lilford, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Birmingham university and receives specialist advice from neurologists who specialise in the treatment of multiple sclerosis.
	The MS RSS collects data from a cohort of over 5,000 patients. There are an estimated 12,000 people receiving drug therapy in the United Kingdom through the scheme. Total national health service spend in England on the four drugs covered by the scheme is estimated at £50 million a year. The Department contributes £200,000 per year to running the scheme.
	Parexel Ltd, a specialist clinical research organisation, is responsible for data collection, management and analysis for the MS RSS. Analysis of four year data from the scheme is due to be completed in 2011.

Muscular Dystrophy: Yorkshire and Humber

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will meet the Yorkshire and Humber Specialist Commissioning Group to discuss the proposed appointment of a muscular dystrophy care advisor for Hull.

Paul Burstow: The appointment of a muscular dystrophy care adviser in Hull is a matter for the local national health service. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State currently has no plans to meet the Yorkshire and Humber Specialised Commissioning Group to discuss this matter.

NHS

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely ability of NHS foundation trusts to meet patient safety targets in each of the next three financial years.

Simon Burns: We are informed by the Chairman of Monitor (the statutory name of which is the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts) that the safety of patients at NHS foundation trusts is assessed by a number of bodies, principally the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The CQC registers providers of regulated activities, including NHS foundation trusts and monitors their compliance with the essential safety and quality requirements. Where there is evidence of material safety concerns, CQC and Monitor will jointly consider the appropriate action.

NHS: Armed Forces

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many armed forces reservists employed by the NHS have had requests for leave to undergo operational training refused by NHS trusts in the financial year 2010-11 to date.

Simon Burns: This information is not collected centrally.
	We do not centrally monitor the number of national health service (NHS) staff serving in the reserve forces. There is an option on the electronic staff record (ESR) to record reserve forces training as a reason for absence, however, entry of these data is not mandatory (although it is recommended as ESR best practice). Last year around 100 NHS organisations recorded reserve forces training as a reason for absence but we cannot be sure of a national figure or how many requests for this type of leave have been refused.

NHS: Public Finance

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget deficit or surplus was for each NHS trust on the latest date for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: The latest figures available on the surplus or deficit positions for each national health service trust are the 2010-11 Quarter 1 forecasts, which were published on the Department's website on 19 November 2010.
	These figures can be found by region in annexes 1 to 10 of David Flory's, 'The Quarter: quarter 1 2010-11' at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/DH_087335
	and a copy has been placed in the Library.

Nurses: Public Expenditure

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of nurses who will leave the NHS in each year of the Comprehensive Spending Review period;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of nurses to be recruited in each year of the Comprehensive Spending Review period.

Anne Milton: The information requested is not collected by the Department.
	The precise numbers of national health service nurses required over the next five years will not be known until the new organisations that will underpin the new system have been designed in more detail.
	The Department of Health has consulted on how the new organisations should be designed and is analysing responses. Information on how the new organisations should be designed will be announced in due course.
	The Government have fulfilled their commitment to give the NHS a real terms increase in funding each year. The demands on the service are rising and to meet these, the NHS must make up to £20 billion of efficiency savings by 2014, by reducing bureaucracy and doing things differently. Savings will be reinvested to support the delivery of quality health care.

Social Services: Elderly

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the likely percentage reduction in funding for social care for older people in Newcastle upon Tyne as a result of the comprehensive spending review; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the outcome of the comprehensive spending review on the quality of social care services provided for older people in Newcastle upon Tyne; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The spending review recognised the importance of social care to hundreds of thousands of adults of all ages, backgrounds and identities: supporting their independence and helping them to make full and active contributions to their communities.
	In recognition of the pressures on the social care system in a challenging local government settlement, the coalition Government have allocated an additional £2 billion by 2014-15 to support the delivery of social care.
	We have achieved this by:
	The national health service transferring some funding from the health capital budget to health revenue, to be spent on measures that support social care, which also benefits health. This funding will rise to £1 billion in 2014-15, and will promote improved joint working between the health and social care systems. Further details will be set out in the NHS Operating Framework 2011-12.
	Additional grant funding, rising to £1 billion by 2014-15, will be made available for social care. This funding will be allocated in addition to the Department's existing social care grants, which will rise in line with inflation. Total grant funding from the Department for social care will reach £2.4 billion by 2014-15. In order to support local flexibility and to reduce administrative burdens, this funding will go to authorities through the revenue support grant.
	This means that, with an ambitious programme of efficiency, there is enough funding available both to protect people's access to care and deliver new approaches to improve quality and outcomes.
	A key priority for the Government is a radical devolution of power away from central Government, freeing local government from central control and empowering local people to take an active role in services. Decisions on spending at a local level must be considered in the context of local priorities, which are crafted by local authorities in response to the needs and wishes of the people they serve. Spending on social care will therefore be a decision for the relevant local authority, and it is not possible to provide a central estimate.

South London Healthcare NHS Trust

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the financial performance of South London Healthcare NHS Trust.

Simon Burns: The Department has identified six trusts as financially challenged, including South London Healthcare NHS Trust. The Department will continue to work with London strategic health authority to ensure that, during 2010-11, South London Healthcare NHS Trust has plans in place to return to financial balance, whilst at the same time maintaining and improving services to patients.

Surgery: Waiting Lists

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the average waiting time for elective surgery by the end of the comprehensive spending review period.

Simon Burns: Clinical priority will remain the main determinant of when patients should be treated. Patients should not experience undue delay at any stage of their treatment and would not expect a return to long waiting times for operations.
	The national health service (NHS) will be accountable locally to the public it serves and provide information to patients which will drive choice and competition in the NHS.

Tuberculosis: Greater London

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of tuberculosis have been diagnosed in the London Borough of Bexley in each of the last three years.

Anne Milton: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of tuberculosis cases reported in the London borough of Bexley, 2007-09 
			   Number of cases 
			 2007 27 
			 2008 23 
			 2009 17 
			  Source: Health Protection Agency

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust

Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the proportion of the running costs of University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire  (a) which was paid to the private finance initiative provider in each year from 2005-06 to 2009-10 and  (b) will be paid to that provider in 2010-11 and 2011-12.

Simon Burns: The information is not available in the format requested. However, data for the proportion of total revenue expenditure by University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust in respect of its private finance initiative (PFI) scheme are set out in the following table.
	Figures for 2005-06 and 2006-07 are not comparable with later years as the PFI hospital did not fully open until part way through 2006-07.
	Data are not held centrally for 2010-11 or 2011-12.
	
		
			  University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust-proportion of total revenue expenditure relating to PFI 
			   Percentage of total revenue expenditure relating to PFI 
			 2005-06 4.3 
			 2006-07 12.7 
			 2007-08 14.6 
			 2008-09 14.6 
			 2009-10(1) 14.3 
			 (1) 2009-10 accounts were compiled under International Finance Reporting Standards under which PFI costs in the audited summarisation schedules of trusts are split between capital repayments and revenue expenditure elements, which does not make a precise like for like comparison with earlier years in this table possible. However, an estimate of the PFI unitary payment for 2009-10 is held centrally by the Department as well as the audited outturn revenue expenditure figure for the trust for this year and the percentage figure for this year is calculated using these two figures.  Notes: 1. The source of the data is the audited summarisation schedules of the trust for 2005-06 to 2009-10. 2. The percentages provided represent the net revenue expenditure in respect of PFI schemes as a proportion of total revenue expenditure. 3. 2005-06 to 2008-09 figures compiled under UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice.

Young People: Autism

Jessica Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department issues guidance on referring young people with autism who receive support from child and adolescent mental health services and do not fulfil the criteria for adult mental health teams to appropriate support from other services on reaching adulthood.

Paul Burstow: The Autism Act 2009 requires that the Government produce statutory guidance for health and social care bodies to support delivery of the autism strategy. The strategy highlights the need to improve transition planning to give people with autism the right start as adults and the guidance will include advice on the transition from child to adult services. I will launch this guidance at a meeting hosted by the National Autistic Society on 17 December 2010.

Cancer: Drugs

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has allocated to each strategic health authority from the NHS funding for cancer drugs announced on 10 November 2010.

Paul Burstow: With regard to the additional funding for national health service cancer drugs in 2010-11, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Ealing, Southall (Mr Sharma) on 26 October 2010,  Official Report, column 297W.
	We are currently consulting on our proposals for the Cancer Drugs Fund to be introduced from April 2011, including on the most appropriate allocation of the £200 million per annum funding.

Child Birth: Greater London

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) hospital and  (b) home births took place in the London borough of Bexley in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated November 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many (a) hospital and (b) home births took place in the London Borough of Bexley in each of the last five years. (26269)
	The table below shows the numbers of live births occurring to mothers usually resident in the London Borough of Bexley in each year 2005 to 2009. These are presented by place of birth: NHS hospital, at home or other.
	
		
			  Place of birth  2009  2008  2007  2006  2005 
			 NHS hospital 2,977 2,894 2,882 2,707 2,635 
			 At home 46 74 61 73 43 
			 Other(1) 6 7 4 8 8 
			 Total live births 3,029 2,975 2,947 2,788 2,686 
			 (1) 'Other' live births include those taking place in non-NHS establishments such as private maternity units, military hospitals, and private hospitals. They also include births occurring 'elsewhere', for example in private residences that are not the mother's own, or those occurring on the way to the hospital.

Departmental Sponsorship

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what expenditure  (a) his Department and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies incurred on sponsorship in each year since 1997 for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: The Department does not account for sponsorship separately within its accounting system. It would take disproportionate time and incur a disproportionate cost to collect the information requested. The Department does not collect sponsorship information from its non-departmental public bodies and it would also take a disproportionate time to commission the request.

Football: World Cup 2010

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on entertainment activities related to the 2010 FIFA World cup.

Simon Burns: The Department has not funded entertainment related to the activities of the 2010 FIFA World cup.

General Practitioners

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether GP consortiums commissioning healthcare services by tender will be able to accept tenders from other NHS organisations; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: It is essential that general practitioner (GP) consortia have the freedom to make commissioning decisions that they judge will achieve the best outcomes within the financial resources available to them. At the same time, the economic regulator and NHS Commissioning Board will need to develop and maintain a framework that ensures transparency, fairness and patient choice. We propose that, wherever possible, services should be commissioned that enable patients to choose from any willing provider.
	The NHS Commissioning Board will be responsible for providing a framework to support GP consortiums in commissioning services. This will include setting standards for the quality of NHS commissioning and procurement.

Health Services

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the proposals in respect of commissioning of health services in the Health White Paper will lead to  (a) podiatry and  (b) similar services being commissioned as single services.

Paul Burstow: The White Paper 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS' set out our proposals to devolve power and responsibility for commissioning services to local consortiums of general practitioner (GP) practices.
	GP consortiums will be responsible for commissioning the great majority of national health service services. We will expect consortiums to involve relevant health and social care professionals from all sectors in helping design care pathways or care packages that achieve more integrated delivery of care, higher quality, and more efficient use of NHS resources. This will create an effective dialogue across all health, and where appropriate, social care, professionals.
	To support GP consortiums in their commissioning decisions, we will also create an independent NHS Commissioning Board.
	'Liberating the NHS: Commissioning for Patients' invited views on a number of areas of the commissioning agenda. The engagement exercise closed on 11 October and the Department is now analysing all of the contributions received.

Health Services: Standards

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of patients spent  (a) four hours or less and  (b) more than four hours from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge at accident and emergency departments in each (i) month and (ii) quarter of (A) 2009 and (B) 2010 to date.

Simon Burns: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
	Quarterly data on the number and proportion of patients who spend four hours or less from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge at accident and emergency (A&E) departments is available and published quarterly via the Department's Quarterly Monitoring Accident and Emergency Services (QMAE) dataset. QMAE is the official source for monitoring performance against the four hour A&E waiting time standard.
	Monthly data on the number and proportion of patients who spend four hours or less from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge at A&E departments are only available monthly for August to October 2010 from situation report (SitRep) management data. These data do not undergo the same validation processes as official QMAE data.
	For the months prior to August 2010 SitRep data were collected on a weekly basis and monthly figures would be difficult to obtain from the weekly data as different months would contain different numbers of weeks, meaning a month on month comparison would be distorted.
	
		
			  A&E attendances and performance, England, calendar year, 2009 and 2010 by quarter, 2010, August, September, October 
			   All A&E/Minor Injuries Unit/Walk in Centre (Type 1, 2, 3) 
			   Attendances where patient spent:  Percentage of attendances where patient spent: 
			  Calendar year  Quarter  Month  OrgID  Name  Four hours or less in A&E  More than four hours in A&E  F our hours or less in A&E( 1,2)  More than four hours in A&E( 1,2) 
			  QMAE data 
			 2009 1 - Eng England 4,591,401 108,816 97.7 2.3 
			 2009 2 - Eng England 5,113,295 74,693 98.6 1.4 
			 2009 3 - Eng England 5,025,722 66,023 98.7 1.3 
			 2009 4 - Eng England 4,925,381 110,738 97.8 2.2 
			 2010 1 - Eng England 4,731,558 102,163 97.9 2.1 
			 2010 2 - Eng England 5,396,369 86,501 98.4 1.6 
			 2010 3 - Eng England 5,214,746 106,710 98.0 2.0 
			  
			  Monthly SitRep data 
			 2010 - August Eng England 1,723,360 33,180 98.1 1.9 
			 2010 - September Eng England 1,701,826 41,151 97.6 2.4 
			 2010 - October Eng England 1,753,711 47,414 97.4 2.6 
			 (1) From Q1 2010-11 (calendar year 2010 Q2), the calculation of quarterly A&E performance on the QMAE has changed. Prior to 2010-11 the calculation has identified the proportion of breaches with respect to all A&E attendances, irrespective of whether the time spent in A&E was known. The new calculation shows the breaches as a proportion of total attendances for which the time spent in A&E is known. Any attendances for which the time spent in A&E is unknown are excluded from the total attendances for the purpose of the calculation. (2) The calculation of monthly A&E performance on the Monthly SitReps identifies the proportion of breaches with respect to all A&E attendances, irrespective of whether the time spent in A&E was known.  Notes: Attendances with an unknown total time are not included in the quarterly QMAE data.  Source: Department of Health dataset QMAE, Monthly SitReps

Health Services: Standards

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of patients  (a) received treatment within and  (b) waited longer for treatment than 18-weeks after referral in each (i) month and (ii) quarter of (A) 2009 and (B) 2010 to date.

Simon Burns: The information is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Referral to treatment (RTT) national statistics (England) 
			  Completed admitted adjusted RTT consultant-led pathways 
			  Calendar year  Quarter  Month  Number of patients who started treatment within 18-weeks  Number of patients who started treatment after 18-weeks  % of patients who started treatment within 18-weeks  % of patients who started treatment after 18-weeks 
			 2009 - January 273,184 20,751 92.9 7.1 
			 2009 - February 261,111 20,364 92.8 7.2 
			 2009 - March 300,703 22,483 93.0 7.0 
			 2009 1 - 834,998 63,598 92.9 7.1 
			
			 2009 - April 267,357 19,295 93.3 6.7 
			 2009 - May 263,030 17,634 93.7 6.3 
			 2009 - June 299,763 20,350 93.6 6.4 
			 2009 2 - 830,150 57,279 93.5 6.5 
			
			 2009 - July 303,148 20,532 93.7 6.3 
			 2009 - August 262,624 17,986 93.6 6.4 
			 2009 - September 297,343 21,401 93.3 6.7 
			 2009 3 - 863,115 59,919 93.5 6.5 
			
			 2009 - October 299,077 22,478 93.0 7.0 
			 2009 - November 294,662 22,918 92.8 7.2 
			 2009 - December 260,308 18,811 93.3 6.7 
			 2009 4 - 854,047 64,207 93.0 7.0 
			
			 2010 - January 263,501 20,996 92.6 7.4 
			 2010 - February 275,335 24,172 91.9 8.1 
			 2010 - March 322,462 27,921 92.0 8.0 
			 2010 1 - 861,298 73,089 92.2 7.8 
			
			 2010 - April 265,895 22,774 92.1 7.9 
			 2010 - May 270,648 20,662 92.9 7.1 
			 2010 - June 300,549 22,440 93.1 6.9 
			 2010 2 - 837,092 65,876 92.7 7.3 
			
			 2010 - July 292,098 21,120 93.3 6.7 
			 2010 - August 268,301 19,553 93.2 6.8 
			 2010 - September 289,261 23,542 92.5 7.5 
			 2010 3 - 849,660 64,215 93.0 7.0 
		
	
	
		
			  Completed non-admitted RTT consultant-led pathways 
			  Calendar year  Quarter  Month  Number of patients who started treatment within 18-weeks  Number of patients who started treatment after 18-weeks  % of patients who started treatment within 18-weeks  % of patients who started treatment after 18-weeks 
			 2009 - January 811,077 22,252 97.3 2.7 
			 2009 - February 739,427 20,390 97.3 2.7 
			 2009 - March 873,636 23,407 97.4 2.6 
			 2009 1 - 2,424,140 66,049 97.3 2.7 
			
			 2009 - April 824,755 21,682 97.4 2.6 
			 2009 - May 793,540 18,005 97.8 2.2 
			 2009 - June 936,590 21,294 97.8 2.2 
			 2009 2 - 2,554,885 60,981 97.7 2.3 
			
			 2009 - July 928,721 21,549 97.7 2.3 
			 2009 - August 785,914 18,393 97.7 2.3 
			 2009 - September 913,825 22,784 97.6 2.4 
			 2009 3 - 2,628,460 62,726 97.7 2.3 
			
			 2009 - October 893,394 21,233 97.7 2.3 
			 2009 - November 887,612 20,488 97.7 2.3 
			 2009 - December 792,428 17,221 97.9 2.1 
			 2009 4 - 2,573,434 58,942 97.8 2.2 
			
			 2010 - January 794,900 18,346 97.7 2.3 
			 2010 - February 827,198 18,559 97.8 2.2 
			 2010 - March 955,792 21,050 97.8 2.2 
			 2010 1 - 2,577,890 57,955 97.8 2.2 
			
			 2010 - April 822,550 17,662 97.9 2.1 
			 2010 - May 842,612 15,557 98.2 1.8 
			 2010 - June 942,117 17,252 98.2 1.8 
			 2010 2 - 2,607,279 50,471 98.1 1.9 
			
			 2010 - July 921,418 18,036 98.1 1.9 
			 2010 - August 859,515 17,278 98.0 2.0 
			 2010 - September 927,225 20,583 97.8 2.2 
			 2010 3 - 2,708,158 55,897 98.0 2.0 
			  Note: The quarterly figures are calculated from an aggregation of the monthly data.  Source: Department of Health RTT waiting times.

Health Services: Weather

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether any NHS trusts have reported issues related to  (a) capacity of critical care services and  (b) bed availability under his Department's winter reporting arrangements since 2 November 2010;
	(2)  whether he has received any reports of problems in patient handover between ambulance and acute services under his Department's winter reporting arrangements during November 2010;
	(3)  whether any  (a) daily situation reports and  (b) NHS trusts have identified services operation problems under his Department's winter reporting arrangements since 2 November 2010.

Simon Burns: It is for individual local health areas, working with their strategic health authorities (SHAs), to ensure that appropriate services are available for their patients during winter.
	Where operational issues are identified through daily winter reporting, the Department works closely with SHAs to ensure local winter plans are escalated to mitigate operational risks.
	There will, on occasion, be peak demands on services in certain places. This can mean temporary measures are necessary, but these are kept to an absolute minimum and patient safety and quality of care are always paramount.

Hip Fractures: Older People

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce the variation in number of older people with hip fractures between different local authority areas.

Paul Burstow: There is a significant programme of work in development to address variation. This Government intended the commissioning toolkit to support organisations' establishment of effective falls and fracture prevention and management, the best practice tariff that is in place which incentivises high quality care; National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on hip fracture care and the focus on outcomes within the national health service.

Insulin

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has for the future provision of testing strips for insulin users.

Paul Burstow: Prescribing decisions about blood testing strips are for local determination. It is for the local national health service to ensure that they are commissioning for a comprehensive diabetes service that includes patient education as well as access to blood testing strips.
	In 2002, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence issued clinical guidelines on 'Management of Type 2 Diabetes-Management of Blood Glucose'. The guidelines include advice on the self-monitoring of blood glucose, and state that self-monitoring can have benefits, but it should be carried out as part of an integrated self-care package and if the purpose is clear and agreed with the patient. People with non-insulin-treated Type 2 diabetes, who believe it to be beneficial, and have clearly defined goals and objectives, should be encouraged to continue to monitor.

Local Involvement Networks: Finance

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements he plans to put in place to ensure continuity of funding to local authorities for Local Involvement Networks prior to the establishment of local HealthWatch organisations; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Bristol East (Kerry McCarthy) on 18 November,  Official Report, columns 957-958W.

NHS Commissioning Board

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the NHS Commissioning Board will commission salaried primary dental care services.

Simon Burns: Yes, that is our intention. The White Paper "Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS" proposed that the NHS Commissioning Board would commission primary care dental services.

NHS Foundation Trusts

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to ensure that NHS trusts continue to provide equal access for all patients upon becoming foundation trusts; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Each primary care trust (PCT) needs to ensure equality of access to national health service services through the providers it contracts with, including NHS foundation trusts (NHSFTs). Through contracting with a plurality of health service providers, PCTs should be able to secure improved access for the patients they serve.
	In the future, general practitioner consortiums will commission the services that patients receive, helping them to navigate the system and ensure they get the best care.
	The general right to access NHS services will remain unchanged as NHS Trusts become authorised to operate as NHSFTs.

NHS Litigation Authority

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the NHS Litigation Authority will provide insurance cover for private providers of NHS services after the implementation of the proposals in the NHS White Paper.

Simon Burns: The NHS Litigation Authority does not currently provide insurance cover, but provides a discretionary indemnity to members of the statutory schemes established under section 71 of the National Health Service Act 2006. Membership of the schemes is voluntary.
	The Department is committed to making sure the same arrangements that provide clinical negligence cover to NHS bodies are also available to other providers that deliver NHS care, including other public sector providers and private providers. Changes will be implemented alongside the White Paper reforms.

Osteoporosis: Health Services

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of GP practices which have met the minimum thresholds set out in the Osteoporosis Directed Enhanced Service.

Paul Burstow: The Department does not hold information on the number of practices that participate in the Osteoporosis Directed Enhanced Service. The information is held by primary care trusts (PCTs) who hold a contract with those general practitioner practices who have chosen to enter into an arrangement with a PCT to provide this service.

Osteoporosis: Health Services

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will fund a national programme of audits of falls and bone health in primary care.

Paul Burstow: We already fund a national clinical audit of falls and bone health, delivered by the Royal College of Physicians. The audit measures the organisation of services and care provided to older people for falls prevention, bone health and fracture management. It provides national benchmarking data, using evidence based quality standards, for a variety of healthcare settings: acute, primary care, care homes and mental health care.

Strokes: Health Education

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he plans to release the remaining tranche of funding for the Act FAST campaign;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's Act FAST campaign in raising stroke awareness.

Simon Burns: Approval has been received recently from the Cabinet Office Efficiency and Reform Group for a further wave of the Act FAST Stroke awareness campaign to go ahead. The current intention is for the television adverts to run in March 2011, supported by distribution of other materials locally.
	The evaluation we commissioned from the advertising agency which was awarded the contract for developing the stroke awareness campaign, showed that the campaign successfully achieved a rapid change in behaviour: within a year, an estimated 9,864 more people reached hospital faster, 642 of whom were saved from death or serious disability by receiving thrombolysis. The evidence demonstrated that the campaign achieved a payback of £3.16 for every £1 spent. On this basis the agency submitted an entry to the 2010 Institute of Professional Advertisers Effectiveness Awards and, in November, achieved a Gold Award.

Tobacco: Sales

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what timetable he proposes for implementation of any proposals requiring the sale of tobacco products in plain packaging; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The Government's consideration of policy on the plain packaging of tobacco products is in its early stages. The Government will look at whether the plain packaging of tobacco products could be an effective way to reduce further the numbers of young people taking up smoking and to help those who are trying to quit smoking. The Government want to make it easier for people to make healthy choices, but will clearly need to consider both the benefits and the costs of any new policy.

Tobacco: Sales

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his press statement of 22 November 2010, what the evidential basis was for his statement that  (a) packaging helps to recruit smokers and  (b) that children are being attracted to smoking by glitzy designs on packets; what plans he has to implement legislative provisions prohibiting the display in retail outlets of tobacco product packaging; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: A large number of documents, reports and studies have been published about the effect of packaging in the marketing and promotion of tobacco products, and support the statements made by the Secretary of State.
	For example, the RAND Europe study "Assessing the Impacts of Revising the Tobacco Products Directive" commissioned by the European Commission Health and Consumer Directorate-General to support their assessment of the impacts of revising the Tobacco Products Directive 2001/37/EC and published in September 2010, includes a section examining the evidence on the plain or generic packaging of tobacco products.
	The RAND report can be found at:
	http://ec.europa.eu/health/tobacco/docs/tobacco_ia_rand_en.pdf
	Also, the Australian Government have announced their intention to introduce a legislative requirement for the plain packaging of tobacco to commence on 1 January 2012. The evidence supporting their action is summarised in their technical report "Australia: the healthiest country by 2020-Technical report 2 Tobacco Control in Australia".
	The Australian technical report can be found at:
	www.preventativehealth.org.au/internet/preventativehealth/publishing.nsf/Content/tech-tobacco
	The Government are looking at options around the display of tobacco in shops, recognising the need to take action both to reduce tobacco consumption and to reduce burdens on businesses. No decisions have yet been made.